A DORSET farm business has been told that it had upset its local community after building a slurry lagoon much larger than given planning consent for – and exceeding the number of tractor trips to and from it.

Despite concerns Dorset Council’s strategic planning committee has approved the retrospective application for the larger lagoon with conditions which will limit the number of trips to and from it and maintain a liaison committee between the community and the farm.

Several parish councillors said that Southover Farm had upset residents in nearby Tolpuddle and Affpuddle by building the lagoon larger than planned and, in the first year it was in use, running far more tractor and tanker trips than had been agreed.

Some said that the tractors effectively took over Southover Lane when they were operating, forcing walkers, horse riders, cyclist and other motorists to get out of the way.

There were also claims of the large farm vehicles travelling too fast, close to old properties built without modern foundations and no double glazing, shaking the buildings.

Said a letter of objection from Puddletown Area Parish Council: “The Parish question how the lagoon came to be built with three times the capacity, and notes that the ‘community understandably feels that there has been some disingenuity here.’ The Parish expresses concern over the signal that approving a retrospective application will send to other applicants.”

Similar concerns had been expressed by parish councillors at Affpuddle.

Committee member Cllr Toni Coombs said that with more than 20 years experience in planning she had found that nothing upset residents more than retrospective planning applications.

“Morally, residents feel it’s just not the right thing to be doing,” she said.

Planning officers said that enforcement action against the farm had been considered when it was discovered the lagoon was larger than in the planning consent approved in early 2019 – with a depth of 5.5metres, rather than the consented 3.4m and also 28metres longer in one direction and 5m wider.

Councillors were told that the farm spreads around 10,200m3 or slurry a year, within the maximum 10,800m3 limit, set by the Environment Agency and Defra.

The slurry is used to grow maize which, in turn, is fed to its dairy herd.

Under the original consent tractor movements will be limited to 10 a day over a 90-day period in the winter when the lagoon is filled, with an informal one-way system in place resulting in both Affpuddle and Tolpuddle getting five large tractors a day over that period.

Cllr Philip Martin from Affpuddle said residents felt let down by what he described as “multiple breaches” of the original consent and said people would prefer only two tractor and tanker movements a day from now on.

He said the residents were not against the farm’s activities and said that, if conditions were complied with, it would be possible for good relationships to be restored, including holding at least two liaison meetings a year.

Mr Cobb for J F Cobb & Sons admitted there had been problems in meeting the conditions in the first year having got off to a delayed start, and said the business would be happy to work with the conditions. He said it would be impossible to restrict movements to two a day as that would conflict with harvesting and, if agreed, would mean the same number of tractor and tanker movements over a longer period.

“We want to improve relationships with the villagers,” he said, agreeing that the farm would comply with the conditions.

Ward councillor Emma Parker aid that with the previous breaches it was important that residents were assured that the conditions would be adhered to.

Planning committee chairman Cllr Robin Cook said there had clearly been a breakdown in communications “but I don’t think anyone wants  to stop the farm doing what it has to do and the farm doesn’t want to inconvenience residents,” he said.

The Cobb farms website says the family have been farming in the county since 1928, adding that if research which claims that each dairy cow brings around £8,500 to the local economy is correct – “that would equates to around £34 million for our herd – quite significant for the rural Dorset economy”.