PLANNING officials are looking to take enforcement action against an 'alien' fishing hut built without permission.

Officers at Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority say the wooden structure first came to their attention in June 2014 in a field beside the River Ure south east of Carperby, near Leyburn.

The hut had been built on a stone flagged and cemented base.

A report by Robert Bissicks, the authority's planning enforcement officer, added: "The purpose of the building appears to be as a shelter or lunch-hut for anglers and is far from agricultural in appearance.

"The size, design and location of both the hut and its base make this development a highly obtrusive and alien feature in an otherwise open landscape.

"No agricultural purpose is served by the shelter or its base and no planning permission or permitted development rights exist to allow its retention.

"In addition to the operational development involved, the use of agricultural land to station a fishing shelter is a material change of use of land."

The report states that since January 2015 wheels have been fitted to the corners of the shelter and the building has been moved a short distance from the base.

The park authority contacted the owner, who is not named in the report, raising concerns about the hut.

The owner replied that the hut was moveable and so did not need planning permission - a claim rejected by planning officials.

The application will be discussed at the national park authority's monthly planning meeting at its offices in Bainbridge on Tuesday, June 9.

Officials will seek authority from members to serve an enforcement notice requiring that the hut and base be removed, and the area be re-seeded.