A SHEEP breeder fears his prized pedigree flock will have to be sold off if councillors turn down an extension plan for his Cleveland home.

Mr John King wants to convert part of Hobdale House at Skelton Green so his son can live there and help him care for the Texel sheep.

Mr King is crippled with polio, and his son James has to take on much of physical work on the farm. His wife, Joan, said the situation was cruelly highlighted only last week when some sheep were ravaged by dogs.

"They were torn apart, and that was the last straw," she said. "All we want is a conversion so our son can stay here and help us. If the councillors turn this down we will have to give up but why should we?

"We want to continue into old age what we have loved doing since we were teenagers."

James King and his new bride, Lucy, live with his parents but they want a separate home, yet still on site.

Redcar and Cleveland council planning officers, however, were yesterday recommending councillors to turn down the application. They say the plan is similar to one already refused in June because it is outside development limits and in a special landscape area.

Planning guidelines oppose new residential development unless essential for people working in agriculture or forestry. Officers do not think the application fits that criteria.

The National Farmers' Union is backing Mr King's application, saying the development is essential if the holding is to remain viable. Before Mr and Mrs King moved to Hobdale House, two cottages had been turned into a large detached house with no connection to farming.

The Kings, both in their early 60s, claim the scheme reinstates the two original dwellings essential for running the stock farm.

Mr King and his son want to expand the pedigree flock by introducing species which need more intensive caring. They have been on the site for 20 years and say the business is viable. "With a stock farm it is vital a stockman is on site as this is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week job," said Mr King, who has to use crutches.

"Security is also a consideration."

A letter from the NFU to the council says the sole purpose is for Mr King's son to live at the farm and continue with husbandry of the Texel flock. The union says the sheep need constant attention.

"If the son had to move away, Mr King's poor health means he would be unable to care for the sheep and they would have to be sold," says the NFU.

"It would be a huge disappointment to see another agricultural holding lose its source of income as a result of an entirely appropriate planning application."

The parish council and health centre in Skelton also back the plan.

Mrs Joan King also keeps horses at the farm and her daughter-in-law is a riding instructor.

"We want our family traditions to continue," she said. "My husband has struggled all his life and it is awful when you have to fight, fight, fight all the time."

The planning officers say that though the applicants have now pencilled in a link between the two properties, the proposal is essentially for a new dwelling with separate facilities