Family farming business wants to build new grain store and machinery shed near Newport
Agents for a successful Shropshire family farming business have told council planners that ‘passing opportunities’ on a single-track road mean that forecast increased lorry movements caused by expansion plans can be safely accommodated.
Fourth-generation family business Shropshire Petals has applied to Telford & Wrekin Council for permission to build a grain store and a machinery shed at Lynn South Farm, near Newport.
Another part of the Bubb family business network involves growing 2,000 acres of crops under the name J M Bubb & Son. It and Shropshire Petals use Lynn South Farm, at Lynn.
Now under a planning application lodged with Telford & Wrekin Council the business has asked to build a grain store and a machinery shed, and re-site caravans for agricultural seasonal workers at Lynn South Farm.
The agents say the proposed creation of a grain store and machinery shed is predicted to generate a total of 58 two-way daily traffic movements; an additional four daily two-way movements over the existing site operation.
But they say that the availability of “passing opportunities” on a one-kilometre route of single track road that runs from the A41 to the farm means it is of an “adequate standard".
“The rural C-class road linking between the site and the A41 consists of a kilometre of single-track road with a carriageway width typically between 3.2m and 4.6m,” say Shrewsbury-based planning agent Berrys.
“Although the running carriageway width is not sufficient for two large vehicles to pass for the most part, there are regular passing opportunities along the route with a width exceeding 5m to allow two large vehicles to pass at low speed.”
The agents add: “Given the availability of existing passing opportunities along the access route, we consider that the access route is of an adequate standard to safely accommodate the traffic associated with the proposed development.”
Berrys add that the proposals will bring all crop and farm machinery storage to the main Lynn South Farm site, reducing unnecessary travel between sites, improving efficiency, and improving security.
The enterprise produces 10,000 tonnes of crops including potatoes, wheat and oil seed rape.
The proposal would also mean the loss of some agricultural land but the agents have told planners that this is “not considered significant in terms of taking best and most versatile agricultural land out of production".
“The proposed development will improve the efficiency of the farm business.”
