THE owner of a Dartmoor farm, the restoration of which was the subject of a fly-on-the-wall television series, has been accused of 'taking the mickey' in his bid to provide more holiday accommodation. The exploits of Stuart Hughes – who together with his wife Phillipa, also owns the Holne Chase Hotel and a Dartmoor meat business – were followed in Forgotten Farm, a series which charted the renovation of the 500-acre Holwell Barton, near Widecombe-in-the-Moor. The result of the project was a blend of working farm and luxury holiday accommodation where guests pay up to £2,000 for a week's stay. But development control committee members heard that Mr Hughes wanted permission to use an additional dwelling on the farm for occasional holiday use. His representative, Heather Woodman, told the committee that the house, which is presently restricted to use by farm workers only, was originally intended for occupation by Mr Hughes' father, a former farmer. But ill health, she said, no longer made that an option and all the other employees were happily settled elsewhere. She said that unless a change of use was granted the home would lie empty for the foreseeable future and urged the committee to grant permission, even if it was for a period of just one year until a long-term solution could be arrived at. But planning officer Colin French said such a change was 'clearly contrary' to policy and that only if Mr Hughes could demonstrate no agricultural need existed could a change be considered. 'That has not been done in this case,' he said. Deputy chairman Maurice Retallick agreed and said it would be 'impossible to police occasional use', a stance shared by member Dr Ian Mortimer. But the strongest criticism came from member John Shears. He claimed Mr Hughes was 'fully aware' of what he was doing and said: 'Taking the mickey wouldn't be a strong enough way of putting it. This is way out of order.' Permission was refused.