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A Herefordshire woman is fighting to keep her rural business following moves to shut it down.

At the start of this year, Herefordshire Council served an enforcement notice on Emma Willis of Local Hire Services at Lower Woodend, Stoke Lacy near Bromyard, saying use of the site had changed from farming, and two buildings erected, without planning permission.

An earlier bid by Ms Willis to gain retrospective permission for the business, which hires out machinery, tools and site equipment, had previously been refused by the council in November last year, as being “unsustainable development that would have an adverse impact on nearby neighbours”.

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The council’s enforcement notice then gave Ms Willis a month in which to appeal, after which she would have to “cease the use of the land for plant hire business purposes” within six months, and to remove the contested buildings within nine months.

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Ms Willis was already preparing an appeal against refusal of planning permission, when the enforcement notice “forced her hand” by shortening the time she had to appeal, according to a letter from her agent to the government Planning Inspectorate.

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Her initial appeal was withdrawn earlier this year, apparently over the need for more time to prepare a proposal for improved drainage at the site.

But it has now been resubmitted, according to the inspectorate – which has now given until January 10 for both Ms Willis and the council to back their case.

Details of the renewed appeal have yet to be published.