A stables owner has accused council bosses of “running my business into the ground” after losing a large chunk of his land.
Graeme Lamb, who runs the Quarry Park Stables near Hebburn, has slammed local authority officials for refusing to let him graze his horses on a 28-acre plot opposite his business after contractors working on a major Metro upgrade project moved onto his site. Engineers from Buckingham Group have taken over a section of the Wardley Lane land that Mr Lamb rented from South Tyneside Council while they carry out a £100m dualling of the nearby Metro lines between Pelaw and Bede, which is due to start on September 12 and will result in the entire South Shields branch of the network being out of action for three months.
Fearful for the future of his business and the welfare of his horses without sufficient land to rotate his animals around, the 61-year-old has pleaded with Gateshead Council to let him rent a disused 28-acre plot opposite on a temporary basis, having previously used it for grazing until 2009, but has been refused permission on conservation grounds. Mr Lamb told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he has already been forced to let staff go from the stables after his income dropped and now relies on volunteer help, having once had 125 horses and up to 20 staff at the business' peak.
