A CHILDREN'S farm which opened its doors in December may not have appropriate planning permission according to Barnet Council.

The Belmont Children's Farm in Mill Hill opened on the site of Belmont Farm and features a host of domestic and exotic farm animals including alpacas, rare breeds of rabbits, sheep and cows and stalks.

However, Barnet Council's planning department has asked the farm's owner Andrew Reid to submit a retrospective planning application for the change of use of the site in Ridgeway.

A pokesman for the council said: “It’s the council provisional view that the intensification of part of the site requires planning permission for use as a children’s farm.

“In this respect we have invited a planning application and we are awaiting the owner’s response.”

However, Mr Reid, a lawyer by trade, said he has taken planning advice and been told he does not need extra permission for his new venture, which he says aims to get city kids in touch with the countryside.

In a statement he added: “Belmont Children's Farm is working with Barnet Council to resolve any issues arising from the opening of Belmont Children's Farm to the community.

“We are delighted by the fantastic response from the parents and children of the local community, and are currently liaising with the planning department to provide a swift resolution to any outstanding issues so that the community can continue to enjoy everything the farm has to offer.”

He also included a paragraph from a letter recently sent to him by the head of planning enforcement Joe Henry which said he would probably recommend the plans for approval if they meet requirements to improve roads around the site.