By William Coleman
When it comes to expanding your business you have to take a lot of things into consideration. There is the time, the money and then the impact it will have will have on the surrounding area. This company has run into a little four legged black and white snag. Otherwise known as a badger.
The owner of Forest View farm wants to expand his farm to include a site for caravan storage, but is in need of permission as part of a diversification of the land off Peckleton Lane in Desford. His initial plans of creating a 160 pitches on his 0.98 hectare site has had a real spanner thrown in the works by a cete of badgers.
Badgers have been a protected species in the UK since 1992. The act also protect the land that they live on and use as a habitat. The necessary act that protects the badger means the site will only be able to built with the capacity of 121 vehicles, and that is if the approval is actually given.
The farm was left to Roger Neep, who inherited the farm and its land in the mid 2000s, and has been running the farm as an arable operation, which has not seen the best success. Roger intends to turn the business around with the addition of the new camp site.
The agents for the land prepared a statement in support of the park extension: “It was identified at the time that alternative means of income to secure the future of the farm were needed. Alternative commercial use of the barns within the existing farmyard was secured which has brought in much needed income to support revenue from the farming operation.
While the financial situation of the farming has improved the applicant has identified that further diversification is necessary to continue to support the farming enterprise and to further future proof the far.”
The caravan storage area would sit adjacent to the farmyard commercial centre. There is already a HGV/haulage company, staircase manufacturer and glass fibre manufacturer located on the property.
The planning statement says that the site has the appearance of waste ground and has been used as a dumping area for battered farming vehicles, heavy rubble and waste soil. So not the most positive of statements. The early plans by Hinckley and Bosworth was to have the pitches created over two phases.
The ecological reports that were completed on the site revealed the active presence to badgers. Due to the badgers taking up residence on the site it means that the amount of fans would be cut down to avoid any interference with the animals. There would need to be a 15 meter buffer between the storage area and the location of the badger sets.
Due to the laws protecting the badgers you can find yourself with fines of £5000 and even prison time should you be prosecuted for harming the animals or damaging their setts.
There was an original application for permission, that was withdrawn last summer, but now a new one has been re-submitted for a smaller development.
