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Search the Public Notice PortalA school caretaker has been refused permission to live in her holiday home all-year-round to spare her from a 66-mile journey to work in the winter.
West Norfolk Council has turned down Melanie Green's application to extend occupancy of her property at Snettisham from April 1 to September 30 to 12 months of the year.
It said stays in coastal properties were restricted during periods of increased flood risk "to avoid placing people in vulnerable locations when the likelihood and consequences of coastal flooding are greater".
It added: "Allowing an extended period of occupancy would undermine this strategic approach and increase the number of people potentially exposed to flood risk, particularly during autumn and winter months,
Mrs Green's holiday property is on Shepherd's Port, a caravan park off Beach Road near the sea defences, while her main address is given in planning papers as Holbeach Clough, in Lincolnshire.
In a letter to planning officers, she said she is the caretaker at Snettisham Primary School.
She said her job requires her to work a split shift, opening the school at 6am and locking it up at 6pm, alongside managing all the cleaning, safety checks and emergency keyholder call-outs.
She added: "The current six-month limitation forces me to move to my alternative property during the winter, initiating a gruelling 33-mile daily commute (66-mile round trip).
"This round trip severely compromises my ability to respond to out-of-hours school emergencies.
"Furthermore, driving 66 miles a day on top of an early-morning and late-night split shift induces severe driver fatigue, creating an immediate, daily health and safety risk."
Mrs Green said she would evacuate the property immediately in the event of any flood warning.
A letter of support from the school described the role as "critical to the operation, health and safety and security of the school".
But a planning officer's report said: "The applicant’s current abode and length of commute are matters individual to them and are not relevant to this holiday accommodation, especially as there is no explanation given as to why other accommodation within the settlement of Snettisham, closer to the applicant’s workplace and outside of the coastal change management area, would not be suitable.
"It is therefore considered that no weight should be attached to the length of the applicant’s current commute or matters arising from it in this instance."
An earlier appeal was also dismissed.
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