FANS of The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings could soon be able to stay in accommodation fit for Bilbo Baggins, but in Mid Wales rather than Middle Earth.

A planning application has been submitted by Jake Powell of Llwyn Gwilym Farm near Rhayader to build nine "Underground Hobbit Holiday units."

Agents, Halls in the design and access statement for the application, explain: "The applicant proposes nine hobbit homes, they are basically a cylindrical shaped home formed of recycled waste plastic with twin wall structure."

There are two different sized units proposed, a straight one which is 14m (metres) by 3.2m with two bedrooms.

And a L shaped home of 12m x3.2m plus 3.2m by 4m also with two bedrooms.

Halls continued: "The whole idea of the hobbit homes is that they are placed into the ground so the only part visible externally is the entrance door plus two windows.

"Mr Powell has researched hobbit homes and identified a niche market, Hobbit homes are a new concept in Britain, with very few examples in the UK.

"Due to the sloping nature of the site a space will be excavated for the installation of the home and then soil will be back filled around and over the surface of the home so that when viewed from a distance of either 100 metres or 500 metres the viewers will only see three modest scale windows set within a grassy slope."

In recent months Mr Powell has received permission to build four camping pods and two Shepherds huts as the farm diversified into the tourist/leisure business.

Hobbits are the fictional beings created by JRR Tolkein and are the heroes of his books, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

They are half the size of human beings.