An “unsightly” garage is to be converted into a studio for music and photography after plans submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council were given the go-ahead.

Haddenham Building Design and Consultancy applied for permission back in April to convert a garage attached to a former pub in Station Road, Haddenham, into a sound-proofed studio for the homeowners to pursue their hobbies.

The garages were built to support a business which was based in Station Road before the house was converted into a family home.

In a statement to planners, the agents said: “My clients both have hobbies, music and photography, which they feel are best pursued in a room where they can leave things out and close the door when not pursuing their hobbies.”

The council’s conservation officer, Lorraine Brown, was consulted on the plans and raised no objections, saying that the proposed renovation would cause “no more harm” than the existing garages, which were of “poor design”.

Approving the plans, council planning officer Richard Fitzjohn said: “The proposal, subject to sympathetic timber cladding materials being used, would improve the appearance of the existing garage and contribute more positively to the appearance of the listed building at the rear.”