It sounded idyllic – and there would be no shortage of takers to up converted barns in the Fenland countryside.

But East Cambs District Council has ruled that the plans fall short of the mark on the grounds the barns are too far gone to be capable of being converted.

The application for change of use from agricultural building to homes for barns at Oak Tree Farm, Oak Lane, Littleport, was refused.

A planning officer who inspected the site said that it is “the council’s view that the level of works required in order to convert the building would not be reasonable”.

The officer concluded that what would result would effectively be a new building.

He concluded the building “is not capable of functioning as a dwelling house without works which are tantamount to the operational development of a new dwelling.”

Under current legislation farm buildings may be converted to homes but strict rules govern the extent to which they can be re-built.

In this instance East Cambs planners felt the works needed were outside the scope of that allowed under planning law.