An application for a mobile home at the Charity Farm fishing lake, Litton Cheney, together with camping and caravan spaces has been refused.

The planning request had also asked for a hardcore track for caravans and parking and the construction of a small fish stocking lake.

The 'Litton Lakes' farm diversification project includes a 1.5 acre coarse fishing lake with bankside camping and caravanning with a mobile home, currently used as a fishing hut, intended for staff accommodation. The operation, for the lake, parking and fisherman's hut, was first granted planning permission in 2006.

Application papers said that the business had grown and now requires on site accommodation for staff to maintain the site and monitor fish health as well as collect fees and provide security.

The stocking lake has been dug near the entrance to the site to allow the operation to breed its own fish for the main lake.

A letter to the council from a planning agent, said: "If the business did not provide the facilities described in this proposal, it would fail to attract the necessary visitors to be profitable or in order to compete with other similar businesses that do provide these facilities at their fisheries. The result of which would be a decline in the visitor numbers to the Dorchester and wider West Dorset area, having a subsequent negative effect on the rural economy. The business aims to provide a popular and successful fishing business and the proposed development will allow its continued growth."

Dorset Council, which has taken six months to decide the application, said in its conclusions that it had not been demonstrated it was essential for a manager to live on the site and to have a mobile home there permanently would be detrimental to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

A report by a planning officer pointed out that the site has managed for 15 years without having anyone live on site.

The report concluded that the new stocking lake is acceptable in principle but caravan and camping fails to comply with council policies.

Said the report: "The impact from tents, cars parked next to them, possible open fires and external lighting and other activities associated with the camping and caravanning site would erode the rural and tranquil character of the Bride Valley area."

Litton Cheney Parish Council initially objected to the application, then offered qualified support, only to finally withdraw that support while asking Dorset Council to further investigate the site.

Two letters of objection were received which expressed concerns about having caravans and camping, additional traffic and the effect on the AONB.

Three letters were received which spoke of the benefits of the proposals to the local economy, said there would be little increase in traffic and claimed the site would be masked from the AONB by hedges and trees.