GOLDEN Valley Hunt has been refused permission to move to a site in Brilley Wood.

Worries about the smell from the hounds led Herefordshire Council’s main planning committee to reject the application by 11 votes to four.

The hunt has kept its 50-strong pack at Sheepcote, Clifford, since 1947, but hoped to house them in kennels built on the site of an old farm building.

Members felt they had little choice but to reject the application given the extent of opposition within the parish, including the parish council.

Potential smell and noise nuisance close to homes was the main issue, despite the committee hearing both could be made acceptable.

It has taken eight years for the hunt to find a suitable location. The committee was not told of any alternative site in the offing.