17/02/2011image expired

Nocton Dairies Ltd announced yesterday (16^th Feb) that they would be withdrawing plans for a 3,700 cow mega dairy at Nocton Heath in Lincolnshire for the second time. The company said the ‘sole reason’ for this was failure to counter objections raised by the Environment Agency over the unacceptable risk of contamination to an underground aquifer.   

However, it has come to light that North Kesteven District Council would have rejected the application on a number of grounds had it reached the planning committee. In a statement issued yesterday, a District Council spokesperson explained, “On the basis of District Council Officers’ ongoing review of the application, and objections raised by technical consultees, Officers were minded to recommend to Members to refuse the planning application on six grounds.”

The Officers’ review cites odour associated with land spreading of effluent, noise pollution and threats to wildlife from increased ammonia and nitrogen among its reasons for rejecting the application.

Nocton Dairies maintain that the site is sound and that the precautionary stance taken by the Environment Agency reflects “unfamiliarity with agriculture in general and the design of the modern dairy farm in particular.” Nevertheless, despite many supporting documents and last minute submissions, planners remain convinced that the dairy would pose an “unacceptable and significant risk to groundwater quality, including the nearby public water supply.”

This may be another setback for Nocton Dairies, but the tenacious company appears undeterred. A spokesperson said in a statement about the withdrawal, “Our other two applications for a pipeline and reservoir remain active. Our farm at Nocton is a tremendous site with much potential for the future, so we won't be selling it, but will now be taking some time to consider our options.”

Emma Hockridge, head of policy at the Soil Association, welcomed the news, saying, “This is good news, particularly for struggling small and family dairy farmers. Already, up to three dairy farmers give up in Britain every day, and the unit was likely to mean yet more small family farms go out of business.”