Councillors will view a controversial garden deck in Dingwall for themselves before deciding whether to order its owner to take down the structure.
Members of Highland Council’s south planning applications committee were split yesterday over whether to allow retrospective permission for the 78ft long wooden decking at a property at Mountrich Place.
Gordon Christie made the belated application after an objection from a neighbouring landowner.
Planning permission has been given for a new house on a site overlooked by the decking.
Mr Christie said he mistakenly looked at the UK, rather than Scottish, planning guidelines for decking, and claimed the contractor which erected the decking said that planning approval would not be needed.
North area planning manager Dafydd Jones recommended permission be refused because of the “intimidating and imposing” nature of the decking.
He added: “We are not against the concept of people enjoying the privilege of their property but that shouldn’t be to the detriment of others.”
Councillor Margaret Paterson, Dingwall called for a site visit to see the decking before deciding calling Mr Christie’s position a “genuine mistake”.
She said: “Everything there is built on a steep slope so all of the houses are overlooked by the house up the hill because of the lie of the land.
“The best and fairest way would be to go and have a look and get a real feel for the area.”
An 8-7 vote was in favour of a site visit against making a decision today.
Committee chairwoman Councillor Isobel McCallum said: “I would agree that we need a site visit because this is a very difficult decision we need to make.”
Mr Christie, a drilling supervisor in the oil industry, said: “If I had known I needed planning I would have applied for it at the time and the decking would not have been built.”