Paul Clark’s application for a two-storey home off Ventnor’s Madeira Road, next to the Ventnor Towers hotel, was refused at the beginning of May with the council citing five different reasons.

Planners said the development would be ‘out of character with surrounding properties and detrimental to the visual amenities of the street scene, seascape’ and Ventnor Conservation Area.

They also labelled it ‘over-development’, due to it resulting ‘in a cramped and contrived form of development’.

In addition, their decision report flagged ‘harm’ to ‘high amenity protected trees’, concerns over ecology and ground instability and a lack of an affordable housing contribution.

Mr Clark’s appeal statement says: “We are not property developers, we love the 150-year-old Ventnor Towers Hotel. Getting planning permission for a second dwelling was the only way that we could possibly fund the refurbishment of the existing building.

“We have spent years planning and discussing pre-planning with the council – we are disappointed with the Isle of Wight Council.

“At no point has it felt that the council has attempted to work with us to help produce an acceptable proposal; it doesn’t seem to have been given the consideration that it deserves.

“Our original pre-application advice in November 2021 received a favourable response and that proposal had three new dwellings, yet this proposal for one new dwelling was seen to be overdevelopment.”

The Planning Inspectorate will now consider the appeal.