A FARMING family have applied to build a new home on their beef and dairy farm at Sampford Courtenay to allow both generations to live on site.

John and Sarah Hanks have applied to West Devon Borough Council for planning permission at Great Cliston Farm, application 4761/21/OPA. They currently live in the Grade II* listed farmhouse but want to build a new home to allow their son David and his young family, currently living off site, to move into the farmhouse. Both generations are needed to carry out work on the farm, including being on call for the day-to-day work. The farm, which extends to 180 acres, accommodates 245 cattle in total, including a milking herd of 85 animals. Calving takes place all year round, requiring someone to be on call 24 hours a day.

A report by planning agent Andrew Heywood of Robert H Hicks & Co said that two workers needed to be on site at all times.

‘This dwelling is required in order to provide an adequate supervisory presence at Great Cliston,’ he said.

‘Due to the all year round calving system, the process of calving is constant on the holding and therefore requires experienced labour to be on hand at all times in order to maintain the necessary levels of animal welfare and efficient husbandry.’

‘Assistance is often required for the safety of both the cow and the calf and the prevention of further suffering, so it is vitally important that the intervention by the farmer is made in plenty of time to be able to save the cow and calf to minimise losses.’

He said it ‘would be unreasonable’ to expect several generations of the family to live in the farmhouse.

Also among planning applications to West Devon Borough Council is an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for houseto be used as a small children’s home, at Lower Nicholls Nymet Farmhouse in North Tawton, application 0858/22/CLP.

In Okehampton, an application has been submitted to West Devon Borough Council to carry out work to trees in Simmons Park, including felling a number of ash trees to ground level due to ash dieback, application 0547/22/TCA.

This follows an inspection of all the trees in the park by an aboriculturalist.