A group of residents has renewed its battle against a farmer who built a series of animal enclosures and fences without the required planning permission.

Last summer Daniel Heaven sought retroactive permission for a goat enclosure, a chicken coup, temporary greenhouses, a hatchery and a six-foot chain-link fence around the property on Steele’s Lane in Paget.

Residents living close to the farm immediately approached the Department of Planning to submit objections to the development, which had already been undertaken by Mr Heaven without the appropriate authorisation.

Mr Heaven then amended the application and submitted the original retroactive plans last month with additional provisions for the construction of a new main barn, a farm storage building and a covered parking area. The latest plans have sparked outrage among the community and a group of 30 local residents have joined forces to fight the proposals.

They have called on the Development Applications Board to reject Mr Heaven’s plans, which they say would make the farm even more of a “nuisance” to neighbouring properties than it already is.

An objection letter submitted to the Department of Planning this month by the group states: “We have no objection to commercial arable farming, but object to the field being used for livestock in the quantity that Mr Heaven does.

“Mr Heaven has shown little or no consideration for his neighbours and his animal-keeping results in many nuisances, which reduce the enjoyment of their properties.

“We ask that all aspects of the application in relation to commercial livestock farming at the site, and pig-keeping in particular, are denied so that we may once again have proper enjoyment of our property.”

Another objector said: “The application exhibits environmental injustice in its most crude form and masquerades as ‘mixed farming’ when it is nothing short of an animal factory elevating a commercial enterprise into industrial activity and destroying in the process a pristine and unique area of rural Paget, contrary to the most fundamental intent of the 2008 Bermuda Plan.”

The dispute between Mr Heaven and his neighbours dates back to before 2009, when a series of farm buildings and infrastructure were constructed on the Paget property.

Today goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits and geese are all kept on the site.

Mr Heaven’s latest application includes retroactive permission for “single and two-storey additions to dwelling” and the construction of “entrance columns and gate”, which have already been completed without authorisation.

Referring to the keeping of pigs, the group’s objection letter states: “The smell is so foul that it carries much farther than 100 feet. The smell presents a serious nuisance to neighbours.”

The residents’ stance has been backed by the Bermuda Environment and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST).

A letter of objection submitted by BEST to the planning department this month states: “This matter has been so protracted that the scope now covered by the application seems excessive and could reasonably be broken into a couple of separate applications: one for the retroactive aspects and one for the proposed development going forward.

“The applicant has failed to comply with the conditions of the prior approval.

“Efforts on enforcement appear to have failed to address the non-compliance.

“While we applaud Mr Heaven’s desire to participate in the farming industry, we do not feel that this site is suitable for the nature of his aspirations and we are concerned that the proper licensing and oversight by the Department of Health has been incomplete.

“Finally, while we understand that the Planning and Development Act allows for retroactive applications, we believe that it should not become an applicant’s regular practice, especially when it can allow the application to avoid full and proper prior assessment.”

The Royal Gazette contacted Mr Heaven for comment on this story, however he told this paper that he would not be commenting on the issue at this time.