Derbyshire villagers slam “eyesore” agricultural building built next to ancient church
Residents in a rural Derbyshire hamlet say an “eyesore” agricultural building built next to an ancient church is an “upsetting blot on the landscape”.
Cubley, formed from the two hamlets of Great Cubley and Little Cubley five miles south of Ashbourne, is host to a fresh row involving an ancient church and a herd of sheep.
Villagers say a large agricultural building built overlooking the ancient Grade-I listed St Andrews Church is “horrible” and “quite upsetting”.
Holland Trinity Ltd, a real estate company registered to Clay Cross, bought the six acres of fields next to St Andrews Church along with the historic former rectory for conversion into a home.
An application filed to Derbyshire Dales District Council shows a scheme under permitted development for an agricultural building measuring 22.5 metres long, 3.5 metres high and nine metres wide with a floor area of 202 square metres.
This was signed off as “prior approval not required” in November last year, with work starting on the site in mid-May.
Documents filed with the plans say the council policy is that agricultural buildings can be built without the need for planning permission if it is associated with the management of farmland of five hectares (12 acres) or more.
Holland Trinity detailed in its application that while the six-acre site in Cubley did not meet this threshold (2.5 hectares), the applicant also owns 42 acres (17 hectares) of farmland near Holymoorside on the outskirts of Chesterfield – 22 miles away.
The application says the building would be used to accommodate 50 sheep – though none appear to be present on the site – with capacity for expansion up to 80-100 sheep in the future, along with storage for feed and equipment.
It says the building will “blend with the rural setting”, but residents strongly disagree.
They point to the application filed to the district council which says the building is not within 400 metres of homes and is not near ancient monuments.
Residents say most of Great Cubley is within 400 metres of the building, with almost all being able to see it, describing it as a “blot” on the landscape, and “overbearing” for the ancient church.
Denny Werner-Parker, an IT director who has lived in Cubley for 10 years, said: “They are supposed to have a justifiable reason for building it where it is and they don’t appear to have one, they have a small site here and a larger site near Chesterfield.
“It all started a month ago and they have been working all hours to get it done quickly.
“We have alerted Historic England who say they are sending inspectors.
“The church has been here for 1,000 years and this has really changed the area.”
A further resident, tending to a grave in the cemetery, said the new building was a “carbuncle”, describing it as “terrible”.
Holland Trinity and Derbyshire Dales District Council have been approached for comment.