Nothing, nothing at all

No dairy, no pipework and... no reservoir!

North Kesteven District Council have today refused the application for Nocton Dairies' construction of a winter water storage reservoir (11/0059/FUL).

Two refusals and one withdrawal - not the best promotional advert for what was going to be the largest 'super-dairy' in the UK and it now begs a question as to what Messrs Barnes and Willes will do with their company:

• With three associated planning applications failing in their objective(s) to obtain permission for a mega-dairy on Nocton Heath, why would anyone want to retain 'Nocton Dairies Ltd' as a company name, particularly as there isn't a dairy at Nocton?
• Mr Barnes and Mr Willes are not local to Lincolnshire, so will they really want to leave their investment in the hands of others, particularly as they are both dairy specialists?
• Interestingly, where does this leave Mr Robert Howard, the local arable farmer who aligned himself so closely with the two applicants?
• There has been very little publicity of late regarding Mr Howard of EM Howard Ltd... perhaps the Press may now like to ask him to comment on the whole Nocton Dairies' affair?

Fortunately, the village of Nocton does not have any such concerns.  It can still boast of an interesting heritage, remaining as it does at the heart of the picturesque Nocton Estate. Whilst the residents of Nocton no longer form the main workforce for the Estate, many remember the old times with fondness when the Estate, the Hall and its people were inextricably linked.

I understand there was a real sense of community back in those days and believe it would be nice to try and resurrect some of this 'spirit' for 2011.  Nocton Estate has had to face many challenges over the years with many varied landlords at the helm, but perhaps this particular chapter may now be over... and many would say 'thank goodness' too.

Onwards and upwards Nocton - it remains a wonderful place to live and work.
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