A bizarre turn of events led to a council meeting being played an audio recording of cattle noises.

Leeds City Council’s North and East Plans Panel met to discuss planning issues in parts of the city, including a retrospective application for a barn to house farm animals at Swillington Organic Farm.

Planning chiefs had originally approved plans for the barn in 2016, and had allowed the farm to store hay and animal feed.

But a report which went before councillors claimed the site had been used to house livestock since March 2017.

James Bullock, who lives close to the farm, told the meeting he has lived in Swillington all his life, but said he had recently had his life blighted by cattle noises.

“They decided they would build a barn, without consulting me, right in front of my house,” he said.

“Immediately there were animals in there – it’s obvious now that the intention was for the barn to be build to house animals.

“I accept people are trying to develop their businesses, but this is a massive increase in animals. The noise has been intolerable.

“I have to lay there in bed listening to this bellowing. They say they are trying to help and that they want to be good neighbours – they haven’t done that so far.

“(The applicants) responded to our concerns by saying there was a ‘barely audible, occasional moo’.”

Mr Bullock then proceeded to play a recording of cattle noises into his microphone.

However, he told the meeting that he agreed with council officer recommendations to grant temporary permission to the site while monitoring it during the next year.

Tom Warren, speaking on behalf of the applicant, told the meeting: “Under the permitted development, it has been used to store feed and hay. It allows animals to be kept indoors when they are sick, which requires isolation and for giving birth.

“The recordings are unverified. Normal farm livestock are exhibiting normal behaviour.”

He added that claims from Mr Bullock that livestock had increased tenfold were untrue, and that the number of cows at the farm had grown from 70 to 110.

Councillors agreed to grant permission to the site on the condition that it would no longer be used to house livestock in 12 months time.