Threatened rural business can continue after all

A bid to put a Herefordshire plant hire business on a lawful footing has been approved despite strong opposition from neighbours.

A year ago, Herefordshire Council served an enforcement notice on Emma Willis of Local Hire Services of Lower Woodend, Stoke Lacy near Bromyard, saying use of the site had changed, and two buildings erected, without planning permission.

Her earlier bid to gain retrospective permission for the business, which hires out machinery, tools and site equipment locally, had been refused the previous November.

She had begun an appeal against this, then found herself having to appeal against the enforcement action also. Neither appeal has yet concluded.

Meanwhile she submitted a further planning application in late 2024, which claimed to address the issues of drainage and neighbours’ amenity behind the previous refusal.

The case was heard this week by councillors on the county planning committee. Ian Arundale said he spoke on behalf fellow lane residents in voicing “strong opposition” to the plan.

“We question how a planning officer can recommend approval while an appeal against enforcement is pending,” he said, while the recent neighbourhood development plan consultation “excluded further development in the lane due to poor access”.

The large vehicles regularly accessing the farm along the narrow lane require neighbours to “reverse long distances”, while “the character and safety of our lane has been eroded”, he said.

Ms Willis’ agent Nathaniel Green said that the retrospective nature of the application “showed the business is viable, and does not have a detrimental effect on the local area”, borne out by lack of opposition from the parish council.

This had proposed limiting the firm’s working hours to 7.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, a suggestion backed by planning officer Jack Dyer and agreed to by Ms Willis, her agent said.

Committee member Coun Bruce Baker said resurfacing the “awful” lane, an adopted council highway, and introducing passing places, “would benefit everybody”.

But highways officer Katy James said mandating passing places is “notoriously difficult” due to the issue of land ownership.

Coun Mark Woodall said it was “important not to set a precedent” with a business that “is in the wrong place”.

But committee chair Coun Terry James said fellow members would “need strong reasons to, in effect, close a business, that would withstand an appeal”.

Eight members backed the recommendation to approve the permission, three opposed and four abstained.