Moves are under way to have a farmer occupancy requirement dropped from a rural Herefordshire cottage.
Planning permission for the two-storey Oakleigh in Tyberton, mid-way between Hereford and Kington, was granted in 1981 on condition its occupant worked, or last worked, in farming or forestry, along with their dependents, widow or widower.
Ashley and Hannah Smith bought Oakleigh in late 2013, and from this time onwards Mr Smith has worked as a self-employed mechanical engineer while Mrs Smith has been an ecommerce manager.
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No dependents of theirs have worked in farming, nor have they let it to such a person, their declaration also states.
Their application seeks a certificate of lawfulness from Herefordshire Council confirming that, with the planning breach having continued for over ten years, it can no longer be enforced.
Comments on the application can be made until April 18.
Another rural property also named Oakleigh, in the north of the county, was granted such a certificate last week, ending the agricultural occupancy requirement which had been breached for around 40 years.
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