Villagers oppose plans for new lambing barn in Cockfield

A STORM is brewing over plans to build a new lambing barn.
Cockfield’s Andrew Bowman wants to erect a stone agricultural building for a small flock of pedigree sheep on land off Garden House Lane.
But no fewer than five residents have objected to the move with concerns ranging from the well being of wildlife to worries about increased traffic.
In a report, planning agents representing Mr Bowman said the new barn would be “sympathetic to its setting and in keeping with its surroundings”.
However, Kate Smith, of nearby Kensington Terrace, branded the statement’s claims “laughable” – telling county planners the visual impact of the barn would be “huge”.
“I feel building an agricultural building that has stone walls three metres high is way in excess of what is actually required,” she added.
Villager Katy Hebdon told planners she was objecting as a member of the Durham Wildlife Trust.
“I have concerns regarding the trees, hedgerows and wildlife that may be affected by the proposed building,” she added.
“The plans also talk about the use of motion sensor lights. These shall also have a negative impact on the nocturnal wildlife using the field and will also bother the neighbouring residents.”
Planning wrangles are not new to the site.
Mr Bowman was refused permission for a detached house and garage on the same land back in March 2015.
Agents for Mr Bowman said the new plan would “not be overly prominent in the street scape” and its design would mitigate visual impacts.
Neighbour Barrie Barnes told county planners there was “no justification for such a large building” and thought Mr Bowman had other intentions.
He added: “I respectfully suggest that this construction will be the subject of a future application to convert it into a dwelling. This is a blatant attempt to circumvent the previous rulings of the County Council.”
Planning agent Maria Ferguson hit back telling county officials their team was “extremely disappointed” by the claim.
“Please be assured this is not the case, and I trust that the actual evidence enables you to put these comments aside,” she added.
Not all villagers were against the plan.
Joanne Swainston told planners she was “looking forward” to the replacement of the existing metal container in the field.
But she warned water access for the site could trigger problems.
“Recent works have caused endless frustration for residents as the land immediately to the front of Kensington Terrace is actually the residents’ land and used for parking,” she added.
“There is little parking to the rear of these properties and it is very easy to become trapped.”