Rural Somerset residents have criticised plans by Wyke Farms to convert a pig farm into a storage unit for cheese and butter.

The company, based in Wyke Champflower near Bruton, has applied to demolish several buildings at its "Lambrook pig unit" in the neighbouring village of Lamyatt, and replace them with eight new storage units.

The company has said this is essential to secure rural jobs and will cut down the cost of transporting its products between its dairy and packaging sites.

But locals have described the plans as a "cynical ploy" which would harm the village – and have accused Mendip District Council of using restrictions on public meetings during the lockdown to ignore their views.

Here's everything you need to know about the proposals:

What is being proposed?

Wyke Farms is proposing to demolish a number of the existing farm building at the Lamyatt site and replace them with eight new buildings for the "long-term storage of cheese".

At present, the company produces cheese and butter from its dairy near Bruton, transports it to a storage facility in Frome and then sends it back to Wincanton to be packed – a round trip of 30 miles.

The new facility in Lamyatt would reduce this trip to ten-and-a-half miles – reducing both the company's running costs and its carbon footprint.

The company has recently secured planning permission from South Somerset District Council to upgrade its dairy facilities, and is in the process of building a new "cold room" in Wincanton to improve its packaging process.

The company currently employs 300 people, buying milk from around 150 local farms.

Why are locals unhappy?

Locals are unhappy for two reasons: the details of the plans themselves, and changes to the way residents are consulted as a result of the coronavirus.

Neil Mantell, who runs a guest house in the village, said he was "saddened by the creeping industrialisation" of rural Somerset.

He added: "I live on the hill above the site and am regularly awoken by the sound of machinery and alarms, along with light pollution.

"Our business is to provide a retreat for people away from towns and cities, to experience the peace of country life. Along with other people who run guest houses in this area, this will compromise our business."

Andrew Pope, who lives near the site, described the timing of the plans as a "cynical ploy" by the company.

He said: "This proposal by Wyke Farms threatens the standard of living of residents of Lamyatt.

"It appears to be a cynical ploy to submit this planning application at the height of the coronavirus national emergency.

"Mendip District Council is not following proper process and they are excluding the public from having their say in the planning process and at the public planning board, if this application goes to that meeting. It is simply appalling."

Denise Wyatt raised concerns about a lack of scrutiny for planning applications in a statement read out on her behalf at a virtual meeting of the council's planning board on April 22.

She said: "The council has denied my right to speak and address the board, and denied councillors the right to question speakers and therefore make an uninformed decision.

"There is no technical reason why the public cannot continue to address any meeting of the council, as councillors and officers are being allowed this but the public are denied.

"The council seems to have already forgotten, who elected them and who they serve."

How has Wyke Farms responded?

Richard Clothier, chief executive of Wyke Farms, has denied that the timing of the application was in any way due to the coronavirus or any perception of reduced scrutiny the pandemic may bring.

He said: "We started work on the planning and survey part of this project last summer and the application went in on March 12, which was ten days before the government announced a lockdown.

"It was always our intention to get the approval in for the spring and ready for the summer, so that we could start work clearing the site before the weather changes in the autumn.

"We have focused our cheese sales in recent years on the export market, particularly in the US, where our vintage cheddar has been selling well.

"Vintage cheddar has to be aged for two years, so we have had to age more cheese to meet these markets.

"Over the past years we have been renting expensive storage in Frome, which adds costs in terms of rental and road haulage as the cheese has to be transported there for ageing and then back for packing. So it was always our plan to add more cheese storage close to the dairy."

Mr Clothier said he and his brother had visited Lamyatt personally and explained their intentions to the community, finding residents "respectful and supportive".

He added: "There would have been no benefit for tactically using the lockdown as has been suggested.

"The closest neighbours to this site are my brother and his family, many of my family and friends are close to this site, so it is in our interest to make sure that there is as little disruption as possible.

"We value our relations with the local community – they are made up of our family, our friends, our customers and our milk suppliers, so we always do everything that we can to create a net positive impact in all that we do."

What has the council had to say – and what happens next?

Mendip District Council – which held its first virtual planning board meeting on April 22 – said it had made a number of changes to its planning process in light of the pandemic.

A spokeswoman said: "We are adjusting procedures, in the face of a pandemic, to keep council business moving and to preserve democracy.

"Our planning officers will no longer be carrying out meetings with applicants or agents, either in our offices or on site.

"They will not be carrying out site visits for current planning applications or pre-application submissions at the present time."

The council is expected to make a decision on the plans by the early-summer.