News / Yew Tree Farm
Countryfile broadcasts from Yew Tree Farm as its future remains uncertain
In the introduction to Countryfile on BBC One on Sunday afternoon, presenter Matt Baker called Yew Tree Farm “a slice of rural life with an unexpected backdrop”.
As our city continues to grow, the last traditional working farm left within Bristol City Council’s boundaries faces an uncertain future.
A century ago, Yew Tree Farm in Bedminster Down was one of some 30 farms located in the Bishopsworth area alone; but today it is unique, with Countryfile exploring how farmer Catherine Withers is protecting her heritage against development.
Baker said that Withers is “fighting a David and Goliath battle to save her way of life” in the face of houses which are proposed to be built on the Green Belt land surrounding the farm.
“I’m wedded to this land; I feel so so embedded in it,” said Withers, whose family has farmed across Bristol for the last 500 years and who have worked Yew Tree Farm since the 1960s.
“I’m literally a small chapter in this farm’s history and it can’t go on my watch.”
It is land that Withers rents from a private landlord that is under threat, with developers Redrow already having plans for 200 new homes to be built there.
Bristol City Council’s emerging local plan, which allocates land for development, was originally set to strip Green Belt status from 15 acres of Yew Tree Farm; but in September 2021 the farm won an unexpected reprieve from Bristol mayor Marvin Rees.
The farm’s future remains uncertain, however, with test pits being dug on the land less than a month after Rees’ announcement.
“We’ve just been embraced by people who recognise what the farm is worth and what we’re doing here and what we’re trying to achieve,” said Withers.
“It’s now not just my fight. It’s the fight of loads of people. We couldn’t continue if 200 houses were built here. It would be untenable.”
To watch Countryfile featuring Yew Tree Farm, visit www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013mlg
Yew Tree Farm is Bristol’s last remaining farm – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Catherine Withers
Read more: Unexpected reprieve for Bristol’s last working farm
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