Plans for two safari tents for tourist accommodation at Medway Farm, Askerswell, has been approved by Dorset Council.

But the authority turned down an application for a shepherd's hut on the School Lane site after receiving concerns about the use in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the potential impact on wildlife.

An area planning officer, after inspecting the site, concluded: "The proposed shepherds hut, and associated access and parking would be an isolated and incongruous feature in a field that forms part of the rural setting to the hamlet of Askerswell and which contributes to the rural character of the countryside and the wider AONB."

In agreeing the safari tents the council officer decided that because the use would only be temporary, between April 1 and September 30, there would be less impact on the surrounding area. One of the conditions of the consent for the tents is that no other accommodation, including camper vans and caravans, would be allowed and the site would have to be cleared at the end of the season.