A massive re-build of a former farmhouse in Bothenhampton is likely to stay standing as it is until an appeal against a planning refusal has been heard.

Work on the Homestead Farm site has now stopped, pending that appeal, which has yet to be lodged.

Dorset Council's area planning committee unanimously rejected amended plans for the building, reported to have cost £4million, in August.

Village residents had employed their own experts after noticing sections of it were being built higher than the original planning consent and some parts of it out of line, compared to the original consent.

They claim that the result is an over-dominant home which has partially blocked views of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and looks out of place in the Bothenhampton conservation area.

Planning officers argued that the changes were not significant enough to do anything other than approve the house as it now stands – but councillors disagreed and unanimously rejected the planning application which would have rectified the situation as the house then stood.

Today (Thursday) the planning committee decided to hold any enforcement action in abeyance until an appeal is concluded – providing an appeal is lodged by November 15.

If the deadline is not meet the proposal for enforcement action will be considered again at the committee's December meeting.

Agent for the applicants Andy Partridge said the owners recognised the strength of feeling the building had generated but argued that taking any action before an appeal was concluded would be premature.

He said that experts had been engaged and the couple hoped to submit the appeal as soon as they could.

Consent for the new home, on the corner of Main and Duck Street, to replace a former farmhouse, was granted in April 2018.