A COUPLE whose plans for a farm business on agricultural land near Fordingbridge caused a flurry of protests have launched appeals to try to push through their plans.

Sophia Fletcher and Nick Crowe are appealing over two applications – one to keep a quail house at Sequoia Farm off Puddleslosh Lane and the other, to continue siting a mobile home there for an agricultural worker.

The pair say they need to live on site for three years to establish their business C&F Gourmet Foods, producing rare meats, elephant garlic and mushrooms.

Ms Fletcher said: “We are disappointed that, although the district council has now accepted that there is an essential need for us to live on Sequoia Farm, in the welfare interest of our animals and to make our new agricultural enterprise a success, it still contends that our mobile home is an incongruous feature in an area that has no special landscape designations and would somehow dissuade walkers from using the local footpaths.

“As a matter of fact, the number of walkers has increased in the locality in the past 18 months. We do not accept the council’s contentions and have instructed our planning consultant to progress our appeals.” The pair have courted controversy on the site after retrospectively applying for permission for a series of structures, including the mobile home, containers for mushroom growing, hardstanding and the quail house.

Scores of people wrote to protest about the plans and New Forest District Council refused permission for the mobile home, but allowed them to keep the hardstanding.

Now two appeals have been submitted and an inspector will make the final decision.

Application number 14/11262 for the quail house was turned down on the basis it “does not respect the character, identity and context of this area of open countryside”.

The council says: “Overall, the development brings little economic benefit and this is significantly outweighed by the harm to the environment.”

Comments on this application must be made by March 4.

The couple’s second appeal, for the mobile home, is to be decided at a hearing at Fordingbridge Town Hall from 10am on April 9, application number 14/11161.

The notice says: “The appeal was made against the non-determination of the application, however, had a decision been made the council would have refused the application as follows: “The mobile home and the uses and structures which it would facilitate, would appear an incongruous feature within this open rural landscape to the detriment of visual amenity and the rural character of the area. Moreover, the development as proposed would have an adverse impact on the character of the proposed Tinkers Cross / Puddleslosh Lane Walking Routes mitigation project.

To comment on either appeal go to planningpor tal.gov.uk/planning/appeals or send three copies to the Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/10, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN.