Moffat house is ‘essential’ to farming business

AN appeal will be heard next week in a fight to get permission for a new house at Moffat.

Mr and Mrs D Hyslop, of Wamphray, have been turned down by council officials for a house for an agricultural worker on their land at Lochhouse Farm.

But they are fighting back with an appeal to councillors.

They have lodged additional information with the local authority and are offering a site visit.

The family stresses the new home is essential to meet the needs of their farming business and they argue that it does comply with council policy and meets all necessary criteria.

A report on their behalf estimates 2.6 units of labour are required to run the farm and they say a dwelling is needed in that location for animal welfare and emergency reasons.

Amid a ‘considerable shortage of experienced farm workers’, both regionally and nationally, it’s thought having a house may attract an experienced and specialist agricultural worker and reduce pressure on the Hyslops’ current workforce

Since the person who looked after the stock at Lochhouse retired, it has been wintered at other farms owned by the applicant, but they say this would change if this building gets the go ahead.

With no other opportunities for a worker to reside closer to Lochhouse, they believe the essential need has been ‘clearly demonstrated’, including by vets and accountants.

A decision will be made at a meeting in Dumfries on Thursday.

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