What worries me, and clearly the committee members, was the officer's recommendation for refusal.

When you are adapting a listed building to the needs and demands of the less fortunate in one's community you have to strike the right balance.

The officers must move with the times and apply common sense.

We have an application coming to committee affecting our listed building, the Bull Hotel, very similar to St Mary's.

We propose to hide a lift shaft and fire escape within the end cottage attached to the hotel by raising the cottage roof by a few feet, which everyone I have spoken with agrees would not harm the listed building, but safeguard it.

Liz Mayle is yet again objecting to everything we are proposing and it appears that she would rather have ugly exterior additions to the rear or the fire escape coming out of the kitchen area into the ballroom via a trap door, which will look odd, flawed and dangerous.

It's all about striking the right balance.

Jan von Draczek