A BUSINESS owner says her livelihood has been pushed to the brink by a sprawling solar farm - and she has been given a lifeline by planning councillors who have backed a further development in the green belt.

At Tuesday's (24 February) Thurock Council planning meeting councillors heard how four new homes could be the only way to save Joy Jarvis's wellness hotel retreat and protect more than 50 local .

They rejected an officer recommendation to refuse the application, with one saying it would 'beggar belief' if they refused it.

The application from the Glass House Retreat in Harrow Road, Bulphan, sought outline permission to build four detached homes on unused land behind the site.

The Glass House viewed from Harrow Road.

Mrs Jarvis told councillors the proposal was driven not by profit, but by necessity.

"When we bought this land in 2016, the retreat was surrounded by open countryside," she said.

"But the solar farm has transformed the environment. What was once countryside is now a sea of glass and metal. Footfall has fallen significantly. We are being forced to adapt to survive."

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Mrs Jarvis said she and her husband had invested everything into the wellness retreat, even selling their own home.

She said the only viable route to protecting the business — and the jobs of her 54 staff - was to shift partly to a day visitor model.

That change, she said, required major investment the business could not currently afford. However, she failed to tell councillors that the business currentl;y operated day visits and shorter facilities visits for health treatments. They have long been a feature of the business and are advertised on its website.

The rural location of the Glasshouse.

Mrs Jarvis argued that building on a small parcel of unused land could provide the financial stability needed.

"My bank has agreed to loan us the money to build these houses to sell them, and the proceeds will go into the retreat," she said. "Without this permission, we genuinely fear our business will not survive."

Committee members expressed frustration at the wider context, with Cllr Tom Kelly questioning how large developers were approved on green belt land while local businesses struggled for support.

"I find it hard to argue this is destruction of green belt when we built a solar farm around their establishment," he said.

Cllr Jacqui Maney said she typically defended green belt protections but believed the circumstances were exceptional.

"That solar farm is a blot on the landscape," she said.

"To deny these people four houses beggars belief. It's one of the rare occasions I will be voting for something on the green belt."

The Harrow pub that was demolished to make way for the Glass House.

The Glass House development was given planning approval on 23 February 2017 (nine years and a day ago) when it was agreed the derelict former Harrow pub could become a facility featuring five treatment rooms, a gymnasium, swimming pool, dance studio, lounge and dining rooms, as well as 21 guest rooms.

Considering the latest application, planning officers had concluded the site was in an unsustainable rural location and the "very special circumstances" required for green belt development had not been met.

They warned the scheme would urbanise a sensitive fenland landscape and cause significant harm to openness. However, councillors rejected their advice and approved the scheme.