Our Cow Molly farmers plan to build new environmentally-friendly barn

Our Cow Molly is based at Cliffe House Farm, on Hill Top Road, Dungworth, and makes milk, ice cream and butter which is sold at the farm shop and goes to local residents, retail outlets, universities, theatres, local Coops, Morrisons and restaurants.

It submitted plans to the council to build a modern agricultural barn to house a new over winter cow shed and milking parlour with anaerobic digester, subterranean slurry pit and a rainwater tank.

In a statement with the plans, they said it will not only help their businesses but also support the University of Sheffield in their research.

A statement provided with the plans said: “Increasing the herd size and upgrading the farms infrastructure to modern standards secures Hector Andrew & Co output, which secures the local dairy and by extension another local dairy farmer’s milk output.

It continued: "Where possible we have carefully considered site choice, set the building into a sloping landscape, considered impact of roofline, minimising the visible scale -all to balance various agriculture and planning policy needs.

"In summary we propose that the development as shown is an enhancement to the area and contributes positively well beyond its immediate boundaries."

Anthony Ryan, director of the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures at the University of Sheffield, wrote in support of the plans.

In a letter he said: "The new facility will provide new housing for all the cows, a new milking parlour with the opportunity to collect the cows slurry (used as organic fertiliser) for storage under the building. There will be a number of innovations to enhance the health of the cows, e.g. robotic scrapers to keep the floor clean of slurry, as well as innovations to improve the environmental features of the farm such as a separate tank to collect rain water for reuse on the farm and solar panels on the roofs to generate electricity."