Council’s ‘grave concerns’ about how cattle limit will be policed at dairy farm complex

Bruce Sinclair – Local democracy reporter

Calls to allow a 950-herd dairy farm to keep a farm shed built without permission a decade ago are expected to be approved despite “grave concerns” by the local community council.

In an application recommended for conditional approval at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee meeting of December 4, Trewern Farms Ltd seeks permission for the retention of the agricultural building and lay down area at Trewern Farm, Felindre Farchog.

The application is part of a wider complex planning history associated with the site.

Grazing

A report for Park planners says: “Trewern Farm is operated as a zero grazing style dairy farm with 304 hectares located on two separate parcels of land, one at Trewern with the remainder being at Penpedwast, adjacent to Castell Henllys. The farm has a dairy herd of approximately 950 cows.

“Trewern Farm has expanded significantly over recent years with many of the buildings and structures on site having been erected without the prior benefit of planning permission, and having since been regularised through a combination of retrospective applications and certificates of lawfulness.

“The building subject of this application is believed to have been constructed in 2014. The site currently comprises an agricultural shed immediately adjoining another shed and is used for cubicle housing.

“A slurry lagoon, silage clamps and 12 of the newer agricultural buildings are now lawful as Certificates of Lawfulness were granted for these whilst the Authority was awaiting an Environmental Impact Assessment to be submitted by the applicants for the 2015 planning application to regularise the unauthorised buildings.

“However, this is the last of the outstanding agricultural buildings which are not lawful, and an enforcement notice was served in May 2018 requiring its removal. This notice was appealed in November 2019 and is currently being held in abeyance by the Planning Inspectorate.”

Woodland

It says the building referred to in the application “is described as being designed to house cattle in a series of cubicles, and forms part of a longer set of buildings running along the southern section of the farming complex,” adding: “The livestock numbers are not proposed for increase as a result of this application but will be as secured [by a planning consent] restricted to no more than 960 milking cows with 1020 maximum excluding calves.”

It adds: “The close proximity of the site to the North Pembrokeshire Woodlands SAC which is an old sessile oak wood with an exceptional diversity of rare epiphytic lichens has meant that proposals to increase livestock numbers have required appropriate assessment under the Habitat Regulations to assess potential impacts. The design and siting of the building is considered acceptable within the wider complex of buildings.

“Subject to conditions in relation to both landscaping and control of maximum milking herd numbers, to ensure there are no potential additional ammonia impacts on the SAC, the proposal is considered acceptable and to meet relevant Local and National planning policy requirements.”

Local community council Nevern has said it has “grave concerns” about the application, asking, amongst other things, how the 960 cattle limit will be policed and the important woodland will be protected.