Our farm is under serious threat from proposed housing developments, which would see us lose 40 acres of our best grazing land. This is not land we own ourselves, but rent from the landowner. Without this land we would be forced to reduce our herd size and Hook & Son will no longer be viable.
We encourage as many of our customers as possible to object to the development.
It is shameful that Hailsham Town Council have not objected to this development – without you, our customers, we are alone in this fight.
Please write to the Wealden District Council to object to the proposed development before Friday 11th August. You can view the proposal on the Wealden District Council website.
Alternatively, email planning@wealden.gov.uk with the subject line: 'For the attention of Mrs C Turner'. You will need to quote the case reference number: WD/2023/1684/MAO.
You will also need to cite a reason for objecting, which can include:
• The 40 acres of grazing land is integral to the farm's viability
• Farms should not be fragmented
• Farmland producing food for local people should not be fragmented and lost, but protected from development
• How would the 'statutory biodiversity gain' be achieved on existing organic farmland with the biodiversity that it already provides?
• The food our farm produces is important to you for different reasons
• Hook & Son is the main raw milk producer in the UK
• Hook & Son employ 20 full-time and 6 part-time staff, with those jobs now at stake
• It is the last dairy farm in Hailsham
• It organically farms land on the Pevensey Levels, which is a Site of Specific Scientific Interest
• It is an award-winning farm for its produce, and featured in The Moo Man, a documentary which was showcased by the United Nations in 2014 in the UN 'Year of the Family Farm' as well as featuring in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival
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