Locals in Blakeney are lining up to fight plans by an entrepreneur to convert this humble concrete structure into a hotel.

The single storey 18m x 8m barn sits on the Morston Road on the outskirts of the village and offers stunning views over the saltmarshes towards the sea.

Its owner Daniel Broch, who founded the Everyman Cinema Group, wants to turn the property into a boutique hotel and farm shop, after recently obtaining permission for a campsite on the field beside it.

The barn at Blakeney which could be converted into a hotel (Image: Chris Bishop)

But villagers claim the development will blight views across the marshes, which sit in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), now known as a 'National Landscape'.

The battle is the latest controversy to flare up over the barn, which is very close to a £6m mansion which was given away in an Omaze draw amid its own intense planning wrangle.

A decade ago, Mr Broch - who sold another mansion in the village for £6m which was also given away by Omaze in a separate draw - withdrew similar plans for the barn in the face of a storm of objections.

And in 2021 he was also refused permission to turn the structure into a house following another outcry.

A picture showing how the hotel might look on North Norfolk Council's planning portal (Image: Rural Solutions)

The latest skirmish started after Mr Broch applied to North Norfolk District Council to change the use of the building under so-called permitted development rules.

He wants to convert it into an office and farm shop, with three or........

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