Bad Press

A timely warning from Devon

Last night, I had a comment submitted to my blog of 22nd November 2010, highlighting a lack of planning permission for an enormous slurry lagoon on Mr Willes' Sedborough Farm in Devon.

It would appear the same comment has been submitted to the Lincolnshire Echo article 'Residents left confused by super-dairy planning number mix up' - my blog of 22nd November has the weblink.

I decided to do some digging around and managed to rediscover a previously read article from the Daily Mail - this is just an extract, but the relevant link is provided below if you wish to read the full version.

'The toxic truth about mega-farms: Chemical fumes, distressed animals and poisoned locals driven from their homes and worse'

'... Mr Willes's stewardship of some of his other farms has been decidedly chequered.

In 2005 he was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £4,000 costs after an investigation by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (part of Defra) found that he had bought unauthorised antibiotics to be administered to his animals.

That was at Sedborough Farm, near Bideford in Devon. His company was also fined £6,700 following a release of milk into Dipple Water in 2008 from Higher Alminstone Farm nearby.

An Environment Agency spokesman described the spill as: 'One of the worst we have seen for some time.'

Furthermore, Mr Willes has displayed a cavalier disregard for planning regulations. He recently enraged members of Parkham Parish Council when he got planning permission for a slurry lagoon at Sedborough Farm, but built a much bigger one.

He later applied for retrospective planning permission but the parish council opposed this.

A letter from the chairman of the parish council, Ian Pincombe, to Torridge District Council in Devon says the council is concerned over 'creeping industrialisation of our parish arising from development by stealth and cynical misuse of retrospective planning procedures' by Mr Willes.

Hardly the blemish-free record one would hope for a man hoping to pioneer industrial farming to Britain... '

You can read the full article here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292011/The-truth-mega-farms-Chemical-fumes-distressed-animals-poisoned-locals.html

History of Planning Applications

I have managed to locate these planning applications on the Torridge District Council planning portal if you wish to view them:

Sedborough Farm

http://plans.torridge.gov.uk/propdb/property/property_history_summary.aspx?module=P3&lpikeyval=000LR5QKLI000&blpukeyval=000LCUQKBU000

The particular decision relating to the slurry lagoon is here:

http://plans.torridge.gov.uk/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?keyval=KXSAI6QK2M000&searchtype=PROPERTY&module=P3

Other related planning applications.

Higher Alminstone Farm

http://plans.torridge.gov.uk/propdb/property/property_history_summary.aspx?module=P3&lpikeyval=000LTXQKLI000&blpukeyval=000LA8QKBU000

Parkham Farms

http://plans.torridge.gov.uk/propdb/property/property_history_summary.aspx?module=P3&lpikeyval=L1OYAWQK02I01&blpukeyval=L1OYAWQK02I00


With the expectation of having to make major savings for running local services, it is a pity that North Kesteven District Council planning department cannot take into account the previous modus operandii of Mr Willis during planning processes, to consider the potential costs on the public purse.

Nevertheless, it should be a real consideration for the particular Councillors who will be considering the new application, who hopefully read this blog and can now see what Torridge District Council have encountered over many years.