FARMER David Oughton is calling on councillors to help keep him in business by letting him relocate his Lower Swell farm.

Mr Oughton believes that if Cotswold District Council will not allow him to develop the existing Rectory Farm site for housing and move its operations away from the village centre, he will have to sell the farm his family has worked since 1894. The 680-hectare farm has a herd of 200 dairy cattle and urgently needs to update its facilities.

Mr Oughton said: "The unit as it stands and at the current prices that we are getting for our produce is uneconomic and the dairy have told me that if I don't make significant improvements they will withdraw our contract."

His plans include creating a new, modern farmyard a few fields away from the existing farm, which will meet modern hygiene and animal welfare standards. Two barns would be converted into two homes with another six homes built on the current farmyard site.

Mr Oughton says the development, which is needed to pay for the new farm buildings, would also allow the farm operations, including manure and slurry transport, to be taken out of the centre of the village.

Some residents have voiced concerns about aspects of the plans and a public meeting will be held in the village hall at 7.30pm tomorrow (Friday) for residents to air their views.

Planners discussed the scheme last week and agreed that they too wanted to see the site before making a decision.

Councillor Sue Herdman said: "In the good old days farms were appreciated in a village because the people who lived there understood farming and worked in it. Now farmers have to move out of the villages and we as a council should make that easier. They don't want to do it and it is wickedly expensive.

"If you don't allow the relocation you are going to close this down."

She said it was vital to make a quick decision and coun Sally Lindner agreed, but added: "We need to make certain that we get this right."

Although sympathetic to Mr Oughton's plight, councillors and officers did voice concerns about the design of the new buildings and barn conversions and some felt that six new homes was too much.