A BID to turn a £1.3 million wing of a baronial mansion in East Lothian into a short-term holiday let has been delayed after a dispute over whether it was an "unconventional property".

East Lothian Council’s licensing sub-committee heard owners Sophie and Donald Gillies describe the east wing of Tyninghame House as a semi-detached home.

The couple said that they were away from home up to five months of the year and wanted to let it out both to private tenants and through charities that needed occasional accommodation.

However, neighbours who objected to the use of the home as a short-term holiday let argued that it was an "unconventional property" which required a site visit before any decision over a licence to operate as a holiday let could be taken.

Tyninghame House itself is a Category A listed building which has been converted into nine private apartments, with an additional six homes on the surrounding land.

The committee heard that it had a number of private and shared garden spaces and concerns were raised about "strangers" walking through the gardens, which are regularly visited by groups and walkers.

Neighbours who objected also pointed out that the east wing apartments, which would be let to up to 10 people at a time, had been put up for sale by the couple recently.

However, Mr Gillies told the committee that the decision to sell had been changed and it was going to be taken off the market, adding that a visit by the council’s planners had agreed that their home was a semi-detached house and not unconventional.

Councillor Jeremy Findlay, committee member, said that he was not convinced the property was not classed as "unconventional" and proposed the committee visit the house before making a decision, seconded by Councillor Cher Cassini.

The committee agreed to defer the decision until they could visit the property themselves.