A BROADWAY property originally converted to be a home for an elderly couple is at the centre of a planning wrangle.

Gighouse Cottage, a converted storage building at the rear of 72 High Street, was granted planning permission as an ancillary property to a new detached house that has only recently been constructed.

The owners are now seeking permission from Wychavon District Council to separate the Gighouse from the main detached house.

In a report to the council's development control and licensing committee, which is meeting today, planning officer Gavin Greenhow says the council considers that the Gighouse is only suitable for use as an annexe or ancillary accommodation to the main house.

That is because, in the officers' view, of its position in relation to the main house and lack of amenity space. Proposing the severance of the ownership link between the two properties was "unacceptable by virtue of the impact it would have on the amenity of both properties".

The applicants' agent, however, said they were likely to appeal against refusal, claiming in a letter to the council: "In the case of Gighouse Cottage, the imposed ancillary limitation has been removed and, therefore, the condition, referring as it now does only to ownership, can have no validity."

Mr Greenhow countered by saying: "This is an unfortunate situation where, over the course of time and because of the highly unusual sequence of events on the site the original purpose of the annexe has, in effect, been bypassed even though currently it is - and always has been - occupied by those for whom it was intended."