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Search the Public Notice PortalA Somerset farmer has failed in his bid to site dozens of shipping containers near the River Brue.
Alan King applied in November 2023 to site up to 36 shipping containers at Brue Farm on Hulk Moor Drove in Street, mere yards from the river which separates the village from Glastonbury.
Mr Kind argued that the farm "may no longer viable" within a matter of years and this was a prudent way of diversifying the use of agricultural land to generate income.
But Somerset Council took a very different view, refusing permission on the grounds that it would "introduce an industrial or urbanised form of development within the narrow strip of open countryside" between the two settlements.
Brue Farm lies to the south of Hulk Moor Drove, near the junction with the A39 The Causeway, which provides the main link between Glastonbury and Street.
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The farm is currently worked "in a traditional way" by Mr King's family and covers an area of around 50 hectares (around 124 acres, or the equivalent of 70 football pitches).
Mr King previously failed to secure permission to store up to 77 containers on the site in December 2021 - with this latest application coming as a result of "increased pressure" on the farm's financial viability.
A spokesperson for Terraqueous Ltd. (representing the King family) said: "Although all of the farm buildings remain in use they are not utilised to full capacity and the farmyard area is larger than necessary for the level of agricultural activity.
"Even the full area of the farm, at less than 50 hectares, is unlikely to be of sufficient scale to justify the investment that would be needed to bring the farm infrastructure up to modern standards.
"In the medium term, Brue Farm may no longer be viable as a working farm and the options [around] farm diversification must be considered.
"Mr King's market research and direct experience indicates that there is unmet demand for storage units in the area."
A total of 21 shipping containers are already being stored on site "as a trial" - making the application partially retrospective - with Mr King planning to install a 2.2-metre high security fence as part of the proposal.
The plans were refused by the council's planning officers through their delegated powers, rather than a public decision by its planning committee east (which handles major applications within the former Mendip area).
Chief planning officer Alison Blom-Cooper identified the following three reasons for refusal:
- The development "fails to satisfy the criteria" for building in open countryside, with the proposed installations "not being of a scale appropriate to the site's location
- The development's design would "introduce an industrial or urbanised form of development within the narrow strip of open countryside" around the River Brue corridor
- The "intensification of activity" on the site caused by the containers would "be detrimental" to residents living nearby
Mr King has not yet indicated whether he intends to appeal the council's decision.
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