A FARMER has been told plans for a 130 metre squared barn and access track on his land next to the A465 near Abergavenny are acceptable.
Peter Sequoia, of Upper Plant Farm, is able to build the barn and an access track without making an application for full planning permission due to owning and maintaining enough land to qualify for rights to construct agricultural buildings.
The council states the barn is within the river Wye catchment conservation area and, as it is to be only used for storage of hay, machinery and other agricultural equipment, and not for silage or livestock, hasn’t had to be tested for potential risk of increasing phosphates in the protected river.
Though planning officer Alice King in her report has described the site as “within the river Wye catchment” the map published with the application suggests it is more likely to be within the catchment of the Usk, which has similar protections in place.
Ms King said, as a result, the plans could be assessed under the prior notification process and said the barn, which will be 5.3m tall to its roof ridge, and 25m from the nearest highway is common in an agricultural setting and considered reasonably required for agricultural purposes.
