After listening to the points raised by an EDA spokesperson at the Ottery St Mary Town Council (OSMTC) Planning Committee this evening, it was agreed, by four votes to nil (with 2 abstentions) to write to EDDC expressing OSMTC’s concern at the evidence submitted by Graham Brown, and pointing out what seem to be inconsistencies and contradictions in it.

Reporters from the Herald, the Pulmans View from, and the Express and Echo were present.The Chair wryly commented,”We only need the Exchange and Mart and we’ve got the set.” He discreetly didn’t mention the Daily Telegraph.

The Daily Telegraph reporters’ secret filming of an interview with Mr Brown in March 2013,took place at Ware Farm, pictured below

Full story about Mr Brown’s Application is at the Western Morning News link on our previous post http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Disgraced-Tory-attempts-lift-300-000-tie-farm/story-22963165-detail/story.html

An interesting couple of comments on Councillor Claire Wright’s blog in response to a post by EDDC Conservative Whip, Phil Twiss, who pointed out to a commentator that he had got the wrong property when questioning that disgraced ex-councillor Graham Brown was still farming when he said he all but gave it up more than 10 years ago:

…..”10. At 06:19 pm on 11th Sep Damien Mills wrote:

Sincere thanks to Cllr Twiss for pointing out my error.

On this occasion, he’s quite correct; I did, inadvertently, confuse Ware Farm with Ware Farm house. However, further investigation reveals Mr Brown’s property is on the market – but not for £385,000 as I had mistakenly thought but, rather, a cool £1,550,000:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41090060.html

What is more, all my other points remain. So, essentially, it seems Mr Brown is looking to his friends at OSMTC / EDDC to help him secure the certificate of lawfulness without which it will, one assumes, be very difficult, if not impossible, for him to sell Ware Farm. That aside, it’s reassuring to know that Cllr Twiss is such an avid reader of this blog and will, of course, be duty bound to report back what he has learnt on here to the planning department at EDDC before it considers Mr Brown’s application.

Indeed, given the controversies surrounding Mr Brown, one must assume that Cllr Twiss and his fellow Tories will go the extra mile to ensure there can be no suggestion of any impropriety in the way EDDC deals with this application from their former colleague.

Once again, thanks for your help Phil, it really is very much appreciated!

11. At 08:19 pm on 11th Sep Sandra Semple wrote:

From the particulars:

“A barn with open yard area measuring 10m x 15m with a self filling trough provides ideal space for wintering young horses, there is an isolation stable measuring 3.6m x 3.6m in the corner of this barn.

The adjacent barn currently (sic) houses cattle and is 15m wide by 17m long and has a self filling water trough and an external feed trough along the short side of the building.

There is an open fronted 45m x 15m pole barn currently used for straw and hay. The field behind the house has a useful field shelter.”

Currently houses cattle? Agricultural business? Or just family pets?”

A correspondent mentions that the land may be sub-let – but surely, in that case, the owner would still be conducting an agricultural business.