A cow shed which was accused of being the cause of 'repulsive' smells and an 'epidemic of flies' will be removed after the owner lost a planning appeal.

Last March, members of Tameside's planning committee voted to deny retrospective planning permission to a small cattle farm on land at Mottram Moor in Hollingworth.

The meeting was told that up to 50 cattle were being reared within the building which is on land west of Coach Road, once used for allotments and smallholdings.

However objectors complained that the foul smells from the shed prevented them opening their windows or sitting out in gardens, and flies ‘swarm’ into their homes.

“It is impossible to leave windows open, hang out washing, sit in the garden, do any jobs or maintenance. It is a really horrible ripe smell that is very unpleasant,” one said.

“The bluebottles bring the faeces they carry onto the washing on the washing line.

“The flies are a serious risk to health when you consider the large quantity of them and all the neighbours are impacted.”

The applicant, Vince Casale, wanted to get retrospective permission for the existing agricultural building, and permission for a further building to store on-site machinery.

But members of the planning committee agreed with officers’ recommendations that it was an ‘over intensive’ use of the site which impacted adversely on nearby residents and was ‘harmful’ to the local environment, and unanimously refused the plans.

The council subsequently began formal enforcement action be against the existing buildings to get them removed.

However Mr Casale had appealed the time-frame of the enforcement notice, which asked for the building to be removed within four months, and also the committee’s refusal of planning permission.

The enforcement notice ordered the removal of the agricultural building, covered storage area, feed silo, concrete hard-standing
and associated works and stipulated that the land must be restored back to its condition before development started.

Mr Casale had asked for nine months grace to remove the buildings, but planning inspector Mr AA Philips said that this would be ‘excessive given the ongoing harm caused by the development’.

He agreed to increase the period to six months to allow Mr Casale to find alternative land to continue the cattle farm elsewhere.

On the main appeal against the committee’s decision, the inspector supported councillors’ decision saying that both the odour issues and the ‘ad hoc’ style of the buildings were harmful to the location.

Mr Phillips stated: “In my judgement, grazing on agricultural land would be far less intensive than housing cattle in a building and is less likely to result in odours emanating from an intensive activity so close to residential properties.

“Therefore, on this issue I conclude that the development has a harmful effect on the living conditions of the occupants of nearby residential properties with particular reference to odour.

“The site’s appearance is untidy and cluttered with areas of outdoor storage, containers and temporary shelters/stores of various designs and materials

“Given the relative remoteness from a main farmstead the site is very much at odds with its surroundings and is visually cluttered and incongruous in relation to its edge of residential setting.”

The appeal was dismissed.

Speaking at a meeting of the planning committee this week, where the appeal decision was presented, Longdendale Councillor Jaqueline Owen, who had objected against the proposals, said the outcome would 'make the residents very happy'.