Hethel Hens, a poultry farm around 10 miles from Norwich, had sought permission from South Norfolk council to allow David Brown, a long-serving employee, to live in a caravan at the site.

The family-run company said the accommodation was crucial so Mr Brown could respond quickly to emergencies affecting the farm’s 12,000 hens, which produce more than four million eggs a year.

But councillors ruled that the application was unnecessary at a meeting last month.

One of the entrances to the farm (Image: Gogole)

The committee said that an existing agricultural dwelling, around five minutes away from the site, was sufficient, and suggested the business should install automated monitoring systems instead.

However Michelle Howlett, whose family has run the business for more than two decades, said the decision would risk leaving Mr Brown without a home.

“I point blank refuse to make our very good farm worker, who is in his 50s, homeless,” she said.

“He’s been with us for decades. I need him and he needs us. 

“If he can’t live on the farm he could potentially become jobless as well.

“It’s absolutely disgusting that the council has decided that they are not willing to support not just a small farm, but employment, the local economy and local food production."

Hethel Hens operate 24-hours a day, and Mrs Howlett said rapid responses to problems inside the poultry sheds are critical to protect animal welfare and prevent losses.

“You’ve got water leaks, feed systems that can fail, power cuts, all sorts of things that can go wrong,” she said.

The application was refused at a South Norfolk Council meeting last month (Image: Denise Bradley)

“If you don’t get there quickly, the animals will suffer. We check the chickens several times a day because they’re very temperamental.”

The precarious nature of the chickens' health was highlighted in January, when a sonic boom over Norfolk resulted in the death of seven of the business’s hens. 

The proposed caravan would have been positioned close to the poultry sheds so that Mr Brown could deal with problems immediately.

The business also highlighted that forcing an on-call worker to travel in and out of the site would increase the risk of spreading Avian flu to other nearby flocks. 

The business manages more than 12,000 hens (Image: Denise Bradley)

Mrs Howlett also ruled out the council’s suggestion to install monitoring systems.

She estimated that it would cost more than £600,000 to install, and that the business could not afford this cost. 

“If I had that sort of money, I wouldn’t be in this position,” she said. 

The family has now launched an appeal against the decision, a lengthy process that has already cost the firm thousands of pounds. 

“That money needs to be going back into the business,” she said.

“Instead I’m having to stretch myself very thin because of this.”

The family have also started a public petition calling for the council to “let David stay”. It has amassed more than 200 signatures.

Jim Webber, the local Lib Dem ward councillor, has backed the application and urged the authority to reconsider.

Ward councillor, Jim Webber, has called on his authortity to support the application (Image: Liberal Democrats)

“South Norfolk should be supporting farmers and small businesses,” he said.

“Planning red tape shouldn’t be standing in the way of a common-sense proposal. We will continue to support this application.”

The family’s petition is available to sign here: https://www.change.org/p/let-david-stay-allow-david-to-live-in-his-caravan-on-our-farm

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