A MULTI-MILLION pound stand-off over the valuation of a family farm is threatening to scupper local residents’ hopes of a clean-up at the site.

Following a lengthy legal battle, Christopher Shepherd and his sister Joanne Long were granted vacant possession of West Musgrave Farm, in Louisa Terrace, St Helen Auckland, from their brothers Paul and Raymond Shepherd.

It had been thought they were on the verge of agreeing a £4m plus deal to sell the 60-acre site to developer Tindale - which wants to build 600 new homes - only to pull the plug.

Christopher Shepherd said he had subsequently received a £12m valuation and he was seeking “market value” for the farmland. An agent, Rea Estates, has now been given sole selling rights for the land with a view to finding a developer to put in an application for planning.

There have been reports of dead calves at West Musgrave Farm while local residents have also complained of asbestos sheeting being blown about.

One said: “We have been suffering [with this farm] for ten years and that is long enough.”

Meanwhile, in another fresh development Durham County Council said it was to begin a prosecution after a enforcement notice from September last year requiring the owners to stop storing waste was not complied with.

Yesterday (Thursday, October 23) Christopher Shepherd, who confirmed that Tindale has instigated bankruptcy proceedings against him after the deal fell through, claimed the company had initially offered £18m for the site.

He said: “We will sell the farm to anybody who wants to pay market value for it.”

Mr Shepherd also confirmed that his brother Paul was still looking after cattle on the land – despite a county court judge previously stating he had no right to remain on the property and was a “trespasser”.

He added: “We will clean [up] the farm as soon as we possibly can, but I have no intention of paying for a clean-up when other parties caused it.”

A spokesman for Tindale Developments said it was “dismayed” at events.

He said: “We had a deal in principle with only a signature required to allow us to purchase the land.

“Tindale were taking a risk in that we have no idea of the true extent of the illegal waste, but we had built in an undertaking to perform the land clean-up immediately a contract was signed.

“Once Christopher Shepherd and his sister gained vacant possession of the land, they changed their minds and demanded we pay £12m for it, a totally unrealistic figure.”

The spokesman added that it still retained an interest in the area, but another option was to purchase another piece of land nearby.