In East Ruston, in the rural county of Norfolk in Eastern England, a large group of families and gardening enthusiasts decided to take a break from supermarket shopping and grow their own fruit and vegetables in a community patch.The project started off small but membership is increasing and received a £10,000 grant from North Norfolk District Council’s Big Society Fund, for a solar-powered borehole water pump.
Due West from East Ruston, near the South wales town of Haverfordwest a smallholding couple have been fined more than £800 after neighbours complained about cockerels crowing in the early hours of the morning.
Andrew and Lynn Baker of Wiltax Rose were originally served a Noise Abatement Notice in July 2013 by Pembrokeshire County Council after a neighbour complained of excessive crowing from their cockerels. But the dawn chorus continued despite the Council’s warning, and a pollution control inspector was sent to investigate.
The difference between the two? In East Ruston it was a community effort, and the local Board was onside. But in Wiltax Rose, the Bakers were behaving selfishly, and did not consider making the local community a part of their endeavours.
In August last year, the pollution control inspector inspected the situation at the Baker’s house which borders their 10 acre smallholding. On one occasion, the inspector recorded ‘incessant’ crowing in the neighbouring property’s bedroom: from 7.01am to 8.46am from four cockerels, close to the property border. The inspector also witnessed the birds crowing ten times in one minute on another day.
The Bakers moved to the Pembrokeshire countryside from Newport 10 years ago, seeking the rural lifestyle. At one point, the couple had owned around 200 animals but downsized about six years ago.
“I thought it was a joke at first,” Andrew told the Western Telegraph. “We are on a farm, we are surrounded by farmland. It’s the countryside.”
“If we lived five miles up the road in Haverfordwest I could understand it but not round here.”
“I just thought we were good friends,” Linda commented. “We’ve been round there for coffee and BBQs, we’ve never fallen out with them, I don’t know what happened.”
The couple were also ordered to pay £1700 last month for allowing their two dogs to bark continually.
In East Ruston, Rachel Ward, 42, who helped set up the project said: “The members that live in East Ruston are really proud of this local area and it is lovely to see everybody and work together on a Saturday.”
Providing the expertise is John Jackson, 47, a nature conservationist, who said it was a great opportunity to get outside and meet like-minded people.
Fynley Ward, 10, said: “I like playing, it’s nice to get to be outside in a field but shovelling manure wasn’t a very nice job.”
It costs £10 per year for a family to gain membership to the group and membership is for people aged 18 and above. To find out more contact Rachel Ward on 07799154623.
2 Responses
Re-read the article, especially the part about being fined previously for allowing their dogs to bark continuously. This shows a certain disregard for their neighbours. I would be interested to know who are the incomers here, and just because you live on a farm doesn’t entitle you to be inconsiderate. I’ve lived in the country, albeit in Suffolk and Ireland, but while bulling cattle (equally noisy) can’t be helped except by wearing earplugs excessively noisy cockerels can be helped. Among my rural neighbours in Suffolk was a free range organic chicken farm, and they certainly didn’t cause a nuisense with noisy cockerels. And to describe 10 acres as a farm is pushing it slightly, a small holding maybe. In either case, farmers/smallholders (and yes, I ran a small holding in Suffolk with geese and chickens and would never have dreamed of being as inconsiderate as these people seem to have been to their neighbours) are generally considerate towards their neighbours, and wouldn’t have a large number of cockerels around anyway, they don’t lay eggs and you don’t need a large number percentage wise with regard to the number of hens. The article isn’t ridiculous, nor does it mention muzzling all farm animals or banning the raising of farm animals without special permission from the council. It sounds more as though there is a lot more involved than just noisy animals and RO has taken sides regardless of the rights and wrongs of the matter and needs to find ways of justifying this decision hence villification of council officials, who sound as though they have, this time at least, done the right thing.
Absolutely, every endeavour must have the local council onboard. I mean where would we be without these officials,lavishly paid from the publics pocket, to direct every effort.
Landowners and farmers raising livestock without special consent from the council, this will never do. You can’t just invest your hard earned cash and do as you like, can you?
Bleating lambs, muzzle them. Mooing cows sewthem up. Crowing cockrels, shoot them. After all who wants natures noise lliving in the countryside!
Quite frankly, your articles are getting more ridiculous. A little research would have shed a fair bit more perspective on this case.
Living not far away from them, as I do, the resentment of incomers plays a large part in this as does the family relationship between individuals and council employees!