THE years long row between a sheep farmer and Craven District Council over a re-built stone barn in fields close to the Pennine Way between Gargrave and East Marton looks to be at an end after the council paid out more than £10,000 in appeal costs.

Last year, the council lost the third appeal brought by John Howard of Newton Grange Farm, Bank Newton, near Gargrave, in his battle to keep New Laithe barn, which he said was needed for the storage of hay, straw, and wool.

The planning inspector ruled in Mr Howard’s favour, allowing him to keep the barn as it is now and awarded the farmer full costs of binging the appeal after finding that the council had acted unreasonably.

Paul Shevlin, chief executive of Craven District Council, said: “The council was very disappointed with the third inspector’s conclusions, and the decision to award costs, given the complex history of the site.”

Mr Howard confirmed that he had received £10,319 from the council, but that he was still waiting for the withdrawal of the enforcement notice, requiring him to remove supporting buttresses.

“I am still awaiting the paperwork from the council regarding the formal withdrawal of the enforcement notice. I was informed by the planning manager on April 1 that this would follow when the two authorised signatories returned from annual leave on April 12. I continue to wait for a response from the council and for these formalities to be concluded.”

In December last year, the Government planning inspector disagreed with the council and concluded that the barn was of a reasonable size, even with its buttresses, that the council wanted removing, and referred to the ‘substantial, modern agricultural buildings’ of nearby Souber Dairy which stood ‘conspicuously on higher ground’.

The inspector also found the council guilty of ‘unreasonable behaviour’ in the appeal process and made a full award of costs against the authority.