A CARLETON couple with a fancy dress business are celebrating after being given the go-ahead to build a timber home on the site of the family's former garden nursery.

Despite the strong objections of a neighbour at the access to the site, off The Wend, and a recommendation by officers to turn it down, councillors at Monday's planning meeting of Craven District Council gave it their approval.

Ann Middleton, owner of Antix, designer and supplier of historical and fancy dress, said it was the end of an eight-year wait to move onto the site, formerly owned and run by her father-in-law, Jack Middleton.

She said the plan had received the backing of the village and would also see the reinstatement of the garden nursery, which would be run by her husband, Gordon.

Monday's meeting was told that the Middletons planned to live in and run their business from the single storey, three bedroom timber cabin.

The site, accessed off The Wend, was currently unkempt and overgrown with a number of ramshackle wooden buildings.

Cllr Nigel Brown, from Carleton Parish Council, said in their consultation with neighbours, the plan was welcomed and the area needed tidying up.

But immediate neighbour Mel Glover warned of problems with the difficult access and said how their property had been damaged by vehicles.

She believed the tidying up of the land was no reason to approve the building of the log cabin and believed other businesses would be run from the site.

Cllr Robert Mason (Ind), who moved approval of the application, said the site was not the "prettiest" but it could look a lot better.

He said the business was internet based and not likely to attract much traffic and that the Middletons wanted somewhere more permanent, instead of the rented accommodation they currently had.

Cllr Robert Heseltine (Ind), in seconding the proposal, described the building as a "wooden bungalow" rather than a shack and added he could see no reason to refuse it.

Committee chairman, Cllr Richard Welch (Cons), who compared the approach to the site as a track leading to a Greek vineyard, said it was rare to get letters in support of an application, but he was not convinced.

Cllr Ady Green (Cons) said the site needed clearing up and suggested if it was a house and not a cabin, it might be considered more acceptable.

Mrs Middleton added that they hoped to get started on site as soon as possible.