Sixth-generation farming family faces the prospect selling cattle over sale of land for new “nature haven”

Father and daughter Julian (63) and Alice Grammer (25), in land off Tamworth Road, Sawley. Image from Eddie Bisknell.

A sixth-generation Derbyshire farming family faces the prospect of having to sell dozens of cattle amid the fallout over a new “nature haven” in the area.

The Grammer family – the last farming family in the area – have farmed 93 acres of agricultural land around Sawley, alongside the River Trent, including their current herd of 280 cattle, for 100 years, through six generations.

However, Erewash Borough Council (EBC) recently ended the six-generation tenancy of four acres of land off Tamworth Road, behind All Saints’ Church.

Councillors have told a public meeting that the lease came to a “natural end” and was not renewed, but Julian Grammer, 63, who runs the farm alongside wife Samantha and daughter Alice, 25, says this is not the case.

He received a three-month notice to quit the site in late October last year, with the lease ceasing in late January, ahead of its long-standing annual March 31st renewal, initially signed in 1989, by Julian’s father Alec and two uncles John and Graham.

Two weeks ago, contractors started laying a gravel track, cutting down trees and laying many metres of new fencing and installing a new metal gate on the land, opposite the Nag’s Head pub.

Residents, councillors and the Grammer family were unaware of the new plans and started asking questions.

Two days later, on April 17th, the borough council issued a press release saying it aimed to turn the meadow into a “new nature haven”.

It said existing dying trees were being removed and that the area would become a wetland nature reserve, new woodland and a fruit orchard – maintained by volunteers – aimed at boosting biodiversity.

The Grammer family told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they will likely have to both buy new grazing land for their cattle outside of the village and shuttle their herd there, and also sell 20 to 30 cows due to the surprise loss of the valued plot.

Ms Grammer, who works full-time on the farm and will be the sixth generation to oversee it, said the potential loss of cattle was a genuine reality, with business impact not considered by the council on an already burdened industry.

The family feel communication from the council has been “atrocious” and insensitive and that they would have happily cooperated with the authority on its plans for the Tamworth Road site.

Mr Grammer, who has been running the family farm for 25 years, said he offered the council £40,000 to buy the plot and said he would have accepted any condition to avoid future development for anything other than agriculture for another 100 years, but did not receive a response.

The family had rented the land for £160 a year, as agreed with the council, but feel this has been thrown back at them in recent discussions and statements by councillors.

Mr Grammer said: “It is a real shame. At first I wasn’t that bothered, but the reaction from the community has reminded me of the value this land has to other people, I was very surprised at the level of support.

“This is the one place in the area where people can come into contact and pet farm animals. The whole situation has been managed badly.”

The family say the image shared by the council of the land underwater is disingenuous when the land suffered significant drought last summer followed by a particularly wet winter.

They say the land is not prone to flooding, as the council claims, but does have a high water table.

Mr Grammer said the land was only suitable for grazing and that efforts to plant a woodland and orchard there would not be fruitful due to the level of sand in the ground.

He said “idiotic” aims for a wetland would not be productive either, with the land draining rapidly, including a seven-foot deep “pond” to the rear of the plot which frequently leaves behind deep mud, trapping their cows.

Mr Grammer said the council approached the family last summer when the cattle had been moved elsewhere to graze due to the drought conditions, saying officials had asked if the land was still being used.

He said this felt like the council was “using this as an opportunity to take advantage of our weakness”.

Mr Grammer said: “Councillors keep talking about the £160 rent, but that is not our fault and we are not going to turn around and say ‘you should be charging us more’.

“The biggest issue here is democracy. People should have been asked what they wanted and the council should have listened, but instead the Mayor ran an unofficial survey and then the council has bulldozed in.

“I don’t understand the mentality.”

Ms Grammer claimed council aims for the site would fail due to the soil issues and lack of knowledge and then it would become derelict and eventually replaced with housing.

Councillor Paul Maginnis, a borough and county councillor, started a petition aimed at leaving the land as it is, with no nature reserve development, which has now been signed by more than 1,700 people.

He said: “EBC haven’t consulted with Sawley residents on this farmland. They showed up unannounced and cut down healthy hedges and trees. 

“They ignored myself and fellow residents for days before hurriedly putting out a press release stating that ‘one option is a nature reserve’. 

“All we are asking for is a proper consultation so the people can share their views on whether to keep it as farmland, move to a nature reserve or something else. No more secrets, let the people speak.”

An EBC spokesperson said: “Erewash Borough Council wants to see what was formerly privately-used grazing land at Bothe Meadows become a public amenity that the whole community can enjoy.

“We will be consulting with the people of Sawley on how they would like to see this flood-prone council-owned pasture transformed into a haven of natural beauty that is fully accessible to all. 

“An easier option for the authority would have been to sell the land off. This would have meant opening it up to all bidders – including those with an eye on its potential for future development.

“By keeping it under council ownership as part of the authority’s mission to boost biodiversity across the borough, residents can be assured that the site will be preserved and protected for future generations.”