After years of tussling in Island politics, former Senator and MP Neville Darrell could be forgiven for wanting to seek some peace and quiet in his later years.

Unfortunately, plans for his dream retirement home in Ontario, Canada have crumbled.

Mr. Darrell and his wife Sandra have been ordered to stop the construction of their new home in Prince Edward County due to its proximity to a livestock barn, according to the local newspaper.

The couple bought the 75-acre property just east of Lake on the Mountain Park, in 2002, and construction began last September, with completion scheduled for February. In December, however, council officials brought work to a halt after receiving a complaint that the house was too close to a livestock facility.

They said the building would have to be moved to comply with the Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) required from a neighbouring barn. The council's Committee of Adjustment then rejected an application for a minor variance – to reduce the MDS requirement from 820 ft to 360 ft.

According to The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper, officials said information about the livestock facility was not included in the original building permit application. Applications for rural, agriculture and shoreline areas must include a non-urban development affidavit.

Mr. Darrell, a former UBP Senator and MP, claimed he was never given the 'blue' sheet requesting such information.

He told The Intelligencer: "To me a barn was never an issue because we bought property in the country and agriculture is what they do in the country. We filled out the application we were given. They inspected the property on four different occasions and, to me, the Building department is the competency agency here, so of course I didn't have any concerns."

The Darrells say they are now taking legal action to seek compensation from the municipality for the costs associated with moving the 2,400 sq ft home. They have become resigned to moving the building after failing to reach an agreement with Vivian Jones-Michaluk, who raises Highland cattle on the neighbouring farm.

"I have been speaking to our lawyer and we will be seeking resolution through litigation," Mr. Darrell told The Intelligencer. "We have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested and it's going to be very expensive to move this home back some 600 ft to meet the MDS.

"It's very disheartening because my wife and I have never been treated like a party in all of this. I have no problem with the complaint filed by Ms Jones-Michaluk because she is under no obligation to the county, but they have never come to us and asked how they can help make this better."

Chief Building Official Garry Davis said: "They will have to move it and, in fact, a permit was issued about ten days ago for that. I cannot comment on litigation or anything legal."

Mr. and Mrs. Darrell are now exploring options to deconstruct the walls and roof of the house and reassemble it 830 feet from the barn. Despite issuing a stop-work order, the municipality allowed for cladding and shingling to be completed to protect the interior framework of the house.

In the meantime the couple is staying at the Lake on the Mountain Resort – a lakeside guest house consisting of self-catering cottages and apartments ranging from $90-$125 per day.