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Hi there,
Just wondering if anyone has any experience of a planning application going to a 'Panel Meeting' which is what's happening to us?
Briefly, we moved on to our 8.5 acre field in a mobile home in April having been given permission to build a barn. We then put in a retrospective application, with lots of help from our Agricultural Consultant, for a 3 year temporary agricultural licence. We have 40 hens for eggs, 40 turkeys, 10 geese and 7 rare-breed pigs, 2 of which will be kept for breeding. As well as the animals we have a 2 acre 'kitchen garden' and polytunnel (with permission to build another one) and started selling our produce at the farm gate in July this year.
However, the planners delayed our decision because they wanted to get a 'specialist' to look over our application to see if we really needed to live on site. Eventually, after a 2 month delay, they finally said that the 'specialist' - we presume another Agricultural Consultant - does not think it necessary for us to live on the land stating that there are houses to buy/rent in the vicinity and that the budget figures were not detailed enough to come to a decision as to whether the business plan would work.
So our case is going to a 'Panel' where we will get 3 minutes to persuade the panel. We've seen this procedure on the TV progamme 'The Planners' but don't know if we can give a written statement as well.
Anyway, it's all a bit worrying. We sold our house to buy the land so can't afford to buy/rent a property nearby and of course the welfare of our animals is of utmost importance to us. We can see everything from our mobile home. We work 7 days a week from sunrise to sunset and longer at times.
Our consultant thinks we have a good chance of winning but it seems to be down to luck as to who is on the panel and how sympathetic they might be!
Any advice?
Sylvie
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