A small country cottage at Upper Minety will be allowed an extension so a disabled resident can have a downstairs toilet.

Applicant Andrew Gill spoke to a meeting of the development control committee on Wednesday last week and made a plea for planning permission, to make life easier for his disabled wife.

Isaacs Cottage, their home, is an isolated two-story house and when permission was granted for its renovation in 1996 an agreement was drawn up to make sure it was never extended in the future.

For this reason planning officers had recommended turning down the plans.

Coun Christine Reid said: "Personal circumstances are not planning reasons.

"It is almost impossible to find small cottages in the countryside they have all been extended into substantial country houses."

She said it would be a serious mistake to allow the application and could lead the way to a flood of applications.

But Coun Nigel Maidment said Isaacs Cottage was not a low cost cottage and the extension was very small.

"It will improve the look of the cottage and will not increase its size dramatically," he said.