End of the road looms for farm business after appeal decision

I can’t believe they would put 26 people out of a job, says heartbroken owner Residents had noise concerns

A family-run farm business is set to close after more than a decade – putting 26 people out of a job – after it was ruled ‘intrusive in the countryside’.

David Quinn of New Luckhurst Farm in Smarden runs Quinn Farm Services, an agricultural haulage business with eight lorries.

But after neighbours complained to Smarden Parish Council that the lorries were disruptive he was handed an enforcement notice in January 2014 demanding he relocates.

Shut down

On Wednesday, October 8, he discovered he had lost the appeal and Ashford Borough Council gave him 12 months to cease running the business from his yard.

Mr Quinn, who has lived in the village with his family for 26 years, believes he will have to shut down the business, which is run by his two sons, because he cannot afford to relocate.

He claims the exhausting three-year legal battle has cost him £54,000 and relocating to a new site could set him back up to £2million.

He said: “I can’t believe the council would put 26 people out of a job simply because you can see the top of a few lorries from a footpath.

“I can’t afford to relocate and it makes no sense anyway because most of my customers are in the area, so we would double the movements we make because we would still have to come back to the same customers.”

A spokesman from ABC said: “The independent inspector appointed by the government to conduct the appeal upheld the council’s enforcement notice, citing not only that there were issues of character and appearance within the rural setting but that highway safety and the degree of disturbance for local residents were also concerns.” Mr Quinn added: “How can the inspector judge what a farm should look like? We completed a traffic survey and a noise survey and both came back with results showing that we are not making a nuisance of ourselves so I don’t understand how there are still concerns.

“It is frustrating because we applied to just keep our lorries here at night and even offered to put them in a barn so they were out of sight.

“It is absolutely heartbreaking and I can’t believe we lost the appeal.” John Lowings, chairman of Smarden Parish Council, said the final decision to order the relocation was out of their hands but residents are pleased with the results.

He said: “The problem was really location and I understand that Ashford Borough Council (ABC) is trying to work with Quinn Farm Services to find somewhere more suitable.

“The residents were concerned about noise and amenity so we took their concerns to ABC and they were grateful for that.

“The inspector looked at the situation very carefully and made his decision in light of all the arguments.”

What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk

David Quinn has lost his appeal over his agricultural haulage business, Quinn Farm Services