A Herefordshire man has been told facilities for his equestrian business in a scenic rural spot are not allowed – and he may have to remove them

Darren Pickaver submitted a retrospective bid to permit a “horse blanket washdown room”, toilet and parking area next to the caravan from which he runs an equestrian business near Brilley, between Kington and Hay-on-Wye.

But a representative of the adjoining Brilley Court Farms said the site was “inappropriate for an equestrian or any other business” given its lack of mains electricity.

Mr Pickaver overcame this by using an “unsustainable” portable generator, noise from which “reverberates along the valley for long periods”, the farm said.

It was also concerned about an apparently unpermitted septic tank on Mr Pickaver’s land which they feared could contaminate the neighbouring Milhalf Brook.

The plan also appeared to go against a previous permission for the site granted, again retrospectively, in 2021 for a stable building, tack room and field shelter, which were to be for the applicant’s own horses only and not “as part of a business or other commercial enterprise”.

Among nine public objectors, neighbour Duncan Sutherst said Mr Pickaver’s caravan was “very unsightly” while the narrow lane to it could not support extra traffic.

And Harry Lort-Phillips said Mr Pickaver appeared to be living there year-round, and claimed his description of the proposed block was “utter rubbish” as it had “nothing to do with horses”.

Brilley Parish Council said residents had made “numerous complaints” about the development of the site, adding that Mr Pickaver’s application did not explain the nature of his equestrian business, or the likely vehicle movements and environmental impacts it would entail.

Planning officer Matthew Neilson has now sided with the objectors, concluding that the proposal “represents an unsustainable form of development”, the need for which had not been demonstrated.

Its likely impact on local roads had not been set out, while the caravan was “an incongruous addition to a landscape”.

And he warned: “Any development on the site which is not in accordance with an extant permission will be subject to enforcement action.”

Mr Pickaver declined to comment on the outcome.