An Angus farmer has continued to build chicken sheds even though council officials have ordered him to stop immediately.
In February, councillors gave developers the go-ahead to build poultry units at Cononsyth Farm.
The building of the chicken sheds was subject to a series of conditions – conditions Angus Council believe developers have not met.
Conditions breached include a lack of a Construction Traffic Management Plan.
In response, the council hit the developer with a temporary stop notice on May 12, telling them to cease building.
But farmer Angus Dowell has breached the temporary stop notice by continuing to build.
He argues the project was stuck in the planning system for so long it “created intolerable external financial and time pressures”.
Build leaves neighbours ‘affronted’
Correspondence from an Angus council official, seen by The Courier, states: “We have visited the site as recently as Thursday last week [May 18] and are aware that the TSN is being breached.”
Long-term opponent to the development, John Bell, is furious that work at the development has continued despite the council’s request.
“As a resident, I feel affronted to tell you the truth,” he said.
“They completely ignored the residents’ wishes in putting the sheds where they are.
“We were very disappointed when the council eventually said yes, but it was a conditional yes.
“The applicant has chosen firstly to ignore the conditions of the development being granted, and secondly, they have ignored the temporary stop notice.
“He has chosen to ignore the council, and he has chosen to ignore the opinions of his neighbours.”
There was back and forth for two years between the community and the landowner, with opponents claiming nearby properties would be “blighted” by the development.
However the director of environment consultants Cogeo, the agent for the application, argued that the development would be “clean, modern, and sustainable”.
What is a temporary stop notice and why has one been issued to Cononsyth Farm?
A temporary stop notice is when a planning authority orders a development to stop works immediately. It can occur when there has been a breach of planning control.
Angus Council issued the temporary stop notice last month, posting the notice at the farm.
The temporary stop notice (TSN) states that it is an offence for the work to continue. They were told to stop any engineering or building, and other works associated with the construction of buildings, hard-standings, drainage infrastructure, and access roads on the land identified above.
Residents keeping tabs on Angus works
John Bell and other local residents have kept a log of the works at Cononsyth farm with photos recording the work taking place at the site.
Some of his notes are as follows:
“To begin with, please note the image below, which shows the site on the 19th May. The southern shed is still a steel frame, and the northern shed is not yet above ground level.
“On Friday the 26th May, work proceeded pretty much as previously… more building work on both sheds, and groundwork elsewhere.
“Work has continued all day Monday the 29th, first noticed at 0800, when heavy machinery and cherry pickers were in action, and work was still ongoing at 1900, when neighbours could clearly hear workers shouting to each other.
“Thursday the 1st through to Sunday the 4th of June: Work continued throughout Thursday and Friday, with more internal fittings going into the southern shed, along with roof vents being installed, which you can clearly see in the image below, taken on the 2nd June.”
Angus Dowell, the applicant for the Cononsyth farm development, admitted some conditions are not yet “ratified”.
He said: “We are continuing to work with Angus Council to discharge the planning conditions for the development.
“Whilst it is unfortunate that this situation has occurred, the reality is that the length of time the application took to be determined has created intolerable external financial and time pressures for the project.
“All works onsite have complied with the consented plans and, whilst a number of conditions are satisfied, the few remaining conditions are due to be ratified imminently.
“We appreciate the cooperative approach Angus Council has taken with us to resolve all issues to date.”
Angus Council would not comment on the live enforcement case.
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