Farmer may be able to keep 'outsized' sign

A tenant farmer may be allowed to keep a sign at his Staffordshire farm that was put up without planning permission.

Stafford Borough Council was asked to investigate the sign put up by Andrew Wright, who is assistant treasurer of the Jersey Cattle Society of UK, at Kennels Farm, in Tixall.

Officers established the sign measured 2ft square – larger than the maximum size for a sign allowed under advertising regulations.

Development control manager John Holmes will tell the council's planning committee on Wednesday that Mr Wright was asked to submit an application to retain the unauthorised sign or to remove it or reduce it in size.

The farm owner told the council it was a gift from a milk processor to publicise the farm's production of milk from its herd of pedigree Jersey cattle.

He said that farming was suffering from depressed milk prices with increasing overheads and dairy farmers needed help and encouragement.

He said Mr Wright had been dismayed to receive a notice of enforcement proceedings over such a small infringement. The committee will hear the county council does not consider the sign detrimental to highway safety

Officers will recommend that because the sign is only slightly over the size requiring advertisement consent, then no further action should be taken.

Dairy farmer Mr Wright, who has farmed at Tixall for nine years and has a herd of 200 pure bred Jerseys, said: "It all seems to have been making a mountain out of a molehill.

"Every farm that supplies Longley Farm, an independent processor in Yorkshire, with milk has been given a similar sign. It is only a few centimetres too big. I am pleased the idea of taking enforcement action is being squashed."