Widow who bought fly-tipped wasteland and transformed it into a farm for schoolchildren is ordered to remove it by jobsworth council

Published: 00:52, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 00:59, 24 August 2026 A widow who bought a patch of fly-tipped wasteland for £57,000 and transformed it into her dream mini farm has been told to tear it down after being dragged into a bitter planning battle. Tara Dexter bought a smallholding in Sidlesham, West Sussex, while mourning the death of her veteran partner, Gary. The couple had long dreamed of owning a slice of the countryside, creating a micro-farm and living their own version of The Good Life. She spent two years transforming the site from a fly-tipped dumping ground filled with car parts and rubbish to a smart smallholding with plants, pigs, chickens and wildlife. Deer and buzzards now visit the plot, raised beds have been planted and she keeps peacocks on her farm. Children from a nearby primary school have also used the land for outdoor activities and help her on the land. She also created a willow igloo which is used by disabled children who often visit to help out. But Ms Dexter became embroiled in a planning row after Chichester District Council objected to her transformation saying the container and sheds on the land breached countryside planning rules. And when she applied for retrospective planning permission she was turned down. Tara Dexter bought a smallholding in Sidlesham, West Sussex, while mourning the death of her veteran partner, Gary  Ms Dexter insists the site was once a fly-tipped dumping ground filled with car parts and was covered in rubbish but she is now embroiled in a planning row after Chichester District Council   claimed her sheds breached countryside planning rules Now her appeal to the Planning Inspectorate has failed and she has been given four months to dismantle her dream micro farm. She said: 'It's absolutely ridiculous. It seems the council and planners would rather have a fly-tipped wasteland than a managed smallholding. 'The place was an absolute tip when I took it over and I have totally transformed it and spent huge amounts of time, money and effort to make sure it blends with the environment and contributes to the wildlife. 'Schoolchildren come on visits and are amazed by the rich variety of wildlife, flowers and plants. It's such a shame. 'I am devastated this will all stop. I hope the council and planners enjoy it when this place returns to a foul, toxic scrap of wasteland for fly-tippers.' She said: 'Other plots around me include a burnt-out barn and mountains of fly tipping? Fly-tipping which has been ignored by the council for years.' Ms Dexter, 57, of Yapton, West Sussex says her mini farm helped her through the immense grief of losing her partner to cancer and she calls it her 'lifesaver'. Ms Dexter says the council's planning department initially told her they had no problem with the container unit and the sheds. Ms Dexter spent two years transforming the site from a fly-tipped dumping ground filled with car parts and rubbish to a smart smallholding with plants, pigs, chickens and wildlife Deer and buzzards now visit the plot, raised beds have been planted and she keeps peacocks on her farm She even received almost £3,000 in grants to plant hedgerows and trees on the land from Chichester District Council - the same council who later objected to her plans. She told the Daily Mail: 'This project has literally saved my life. I was so devastated by Gary's diagnosis and death. 'He was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer at the age of 52 after suffering a seizure at work and within six weeks he had passed away. It was absolutely devastating. 'He'd always been so healthy. He served four tours with the Army in a 12 year career including tours in Northern Ireland and Belize. 'He hadn't been to the doctor since 1998 but suddenly suffered a seizure and was diagnosed with cancer and that was it. 'We'd always wanted a little slice of nature to work as a smallholding and when I saw this I snapped it up. It was £57,000 and was a real mess but I was prepared to work hard. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. 'I worked all the hours I could transforming it and clearing the rubbish and mess from the site. It now has around 2,000 plants, fencing, hedgerows and has been cleared of all the toxic rubbish that was here. 'I bought a container for £20,000 and then cladded it with wood to ensure it blended in and the place looks lovely now. It really blends in with the environment.' Children from a nearby primary school have also used the land for outdoor activities and help her on the land Ms Dexter said she also received almost £3,000 in grants to plant hedgerows and trees on the land from Chichester District Council - the same council who is now trying to closer her down She said: 'When I initially told them about the container they said that as long as it was on bricks or raised from the ground they had no issue with it but when I applied for permission they turned it down and then issued an enforcement notice against me. 'However the same council gave me close to £3,000 in grants to plant hedgerows, plants and trees. It seems like one department doesn't talk to the other. I was getting conflicting messages.' She said: 'My mental health has not been great since Gary passed away. He was my soulmate. We first met when he was 18 and I was 17 and then got back together when we were older. 'My micro farm has been my retreat for the past two and half years and I don't know what I'm going to do without it.' Ms Dexter said she cannot continue to work on the land without the container and sheds and will be forced to sell up. In a statement, Chichester District Council said: 'The planning application for a container on the land was refused by the council in 2024, as it conflicted with key policies aimed at protecting the countryside and because the site lies within a floodplain.' Dismissing the appeal the Planning Inspectorate said: 'In reaching her decision the Inspector found the container harmful to its rural setting and uncharacteristic thereof. 'Although there may be a functional need for welfare facilities, secure storage and facilities for educational visits from children it had not been demonstrated that the same benefits could not be achieved in a less harmful way.' The Inspectorate said Ms Dexter has four months to remove the metal container building, dismantle and remove the two timber buildings, break up and remove four timber planters, break up and remove the concrete hardstanding and concrete plinths, together with all resultant debris.