Farmer vows to fight 'ridiculous' decision to stop him building his retirement home on own land near Pontefract

Ken Lister, 82, applied to Wakefield Council to build the property so he could “live out his days” at Manor Farm in Thorpe Audlin, near Pontefract.

Mr Lister has lived and worked at the family-owned livestock and arable farm all his life.

But planning officers said the proposed development was “inappropriate” and in breach of greenbelt regulations.

Councillors narrowly voted in favour of a recommendation to reject the plan, by a majority of five to three, at a planning committee meeting on Thursday (December 12).

Mr Lister wants to demolish old chicken sheds at the 200-acre site to build a three-bedroom property off Causeway Garth Lane.

Officers said the site is classed as a greenbelt as it falls outside of the village boundary, away from most of the housing in Thorpe Audlin.

Mr Lister claimed the scheme met the “very special circumstances” required to build on protected land as houses and buildings already surround the site.

He told the meeting: “I have lived and farmed in Thorpe Audlin since I could walk.

“The farm has been in my family for 87 years.

“Over recent years I have seen the village grow with lots of new residential development dotted around the village.

“This application is for a new house on my land for my long-awaited retirement.”

Mr Lister said he planned to move into the property so his daughter could take over the running of the farm.

He continued: “We chose the siting of the house specifically as it is located next to other housing on three sides, including properties opposite which were approved in the 1970s and 80s.

“It is not a speculative application. I am not trying to get a profit on this.

“Dealing with this application has been frustrating for me.

“We have dealt with lots of issues.”

Mr Lister told councillors that an officer had previously recommended the plan for approval, subject to conditions.

He explained: “Unfortunately, the application was then passed to another officer and that is when our problems began.

“He immediately did a U-turn and said it would be refused.

“This seems very strange to me that we can be on the verge of getting permission only for an officer to change their mind.

“The planning officers have said the site is not part of the village but that is not true.

“The site has always formed part of the village of Thorpe Audlin and should be treated as such.

“I am a long-standing resident of the village and this property will let me live out my days within the village that has been my home throughout my life.”

After the meeting, Mr Lister said he would appeal against the decision.

He said he also planned to write to Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, as well as his MP Jon Trickett.

He said: “I’m very disappointed and I can’t understand it. It’s a ridiculous decision.

“We carefully thought this out and chose this plot so I could have somewhere to live and be adjacent to the farm so I could help my daughter when she needs it.

“There are houses all around the site but they say its not part of Thorpe Audlin.

“Well, I have lived here all my life and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s smack in the centre of the village.”

Councillor Steve Tulley voted against the officer recommendation.

He told the meeting: “The only case we are making is that it doesn’t sit within the village.

“It’s certainly within a hamlet, if that’s the right terminology, because it is surrounded by cottages and other properties.

“If this planning committee didn’t exist, nobody would be any the wiser if one property had been taken down and another built in its place.

“He’s not building a three-storey windmill.

“It will be built in the same style as surrounding properties. I’m struggling to see how it doesn’t connect with the rest of Thorpe Audlin.”

A decision notice issued by the council said: “The application site is not considered to be located within a village, and the proposed dwelling within the greenbelt would therefore represent inappropriate development.

“The material considerations put forward in support of the development are considered not to amount to very special circumstances.”

The proposal divided local opinion.

Ten residents objected, with claims it would set a precedent for further building in the area.

Others said it would lead to noise and disruption from construction vehicles and create traffic dangers.

The scheme received nine comments of support, including one from local councillor Allan Garbutt.

Residents in favour said it would bring the site back into use and would not have a significant impact on the greenbelt.

It was also claimed the property would provide “much-needed housing in the area”.