Cow shed accused of causing ‘epidemic of flies’ and 'repulsive smells' for residents must be removed

A cow shed which was accused of being the cause of ‘repulsive’ smells and an ‘epidemic of flies’ will be removed after the owner lost a planning appeal.

Last March members of Tameside’s planning committee voted to deny retrospective planning permission to a small cattle farm on land at Mottram Moor in Hollingworth.

The meeting was told that up to 50 cattle were being reared within the building which is on land west of Coach Road, once used for allotments and smallholdings.

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However objectors complained that the foul smells from the shed prevented them opening their windows or sitting out in gardens, and flies ‘swarm’ into their homes.

“It is impossible to leave windows open, hang out washing, sit in the garden, do any jobs or maintenance. It is a really horrible ripe smell that is very unpleasant,” one said.

“The bluebottles bring the faeces they carry onto the washing on the washing line.

“The flies are a serious risk to health when you consider the large quantity of them and all the neighbours are impacted.”

The applicant, Vince Casale, wanted to get retrospective permission for the existing agricultural building, and permission for a further building to store on-site machinery.

But members of the planning committee agreed with officers’ recommendations that it was an ‘over intensive’ use of the site which impacted adversely on nearby residents and was ‘harmful’ to the local environment, and unanimously refused the plans.

The council subsequently began formal enforcement action be against the existing buildings to get them removed.

However Mr Casale had appealed the time-frame of the enforcement notice, which