New twist in planning battle between farm and neighbours

An ongoing planning battle between a Herefordshire farm and nearby residents has taken a new and bizarre twist.

Rookrow (or Rook Row) Farm, Mathon near the Worcestershire border is already the subject of two unresolved planning cases relating to accommodation at the farm and use of its packhouse.

The first, made by farm owner A S Green & Co in December 2021, attempted to regularise 33 static caravans housing up to 300 workers already stationed to the rear of the farm.

This has drawn over 40 objections, but two and a half years on is yet to be decided on by Herefordshire Council.

Then in February this year the farm applied to have its packhouse classed as being for “a general industrial and storage or distribution” rather than agricultural use – a change it said was made over ten years ago and was therefore immune from planning enforcement.

The building is used to process, pack and distribute “significant amounts of produce not grown on A S Green’s agricultural holding”, the farm said.

This use has drawn anger of residents who say it has meant year-round lorryloads of produce congesting the narrow lanes to and from the farm, including at night.

Now neighbour Fiona Bulmer has lodged a counter-claim (number 241143), seeking to have the whole farm classed as being for agricultural use only.

Within the farm, “there are a mix of uses – commercial, industrial, residential – none of which have planning permission”, a statement with her application claims.

In a legal opinion on the caravans, barrister Alex Goodman writes that “there is likely to be a breach of planning control” here.

Meanwhile Herefordshire Council has previously questioned the lawfulness of the use of the packhouse for imported produce, he said – but “has not taken enforcement action, nor has a planning application been made”.

“It is not clear to me why housing for the workers engaged in that business has also not been the subject of enforcement action,” Mr Goodman’s opinion adds.

A sworn statement from Philip Bulmer also accompanying the application says the changes in operations at the farm “are less than ten years old, are nor seasonal nor are they agricultural”.

Comments on this latest application can be made until August 13.