A farmer disheartened after having his lease pulled is elated after working out a deal with the Government to continue working the land at his rented plot in Devonshire.

Malachi Symonds, of Just A Farmer at Orange Valley, told The Royal Gazette: “The response from the community has been almost unbelievable. It’s been amazing.”

He said he was reluctant to leave after his business had put a lot of work into the land, adding: “If they want to work with us, we want to work with them.”

Mr Symonds took to social media this month calling on the community to raise the issue with their MPs after he was served with notice.

“Everybody thinks of Bermuda as being a divided place,” he said. “I saw everybody come out, whether Black or White, Bermudian or non-Bermudian, to say they were happy to talk to their MPs and move this forward.

“If Bermuda continues on this path, I think we can do a lot more as a community to help take this island forward.”

Mr Symonds was two years into a five-year lease on the government-owned land that he cleared in late 2021 when he butted heads with the Department of Planning over what officials described as unauthorised structures on his field across from the Devonshire Post Office.

He maintained that the chicken coop and roadside stalls were temporary structures, but Planning said they broke the terms of the lease.

Mr Symonds was told that his failure to retroactively apply for approval meant his lease would end on November 30.

He insisted that the chickens were a vital link in the sustainable farming at the site, by eating agricultural waste and producing manure fertiliser.

Now Mr Symonds and his team say that, instead of leaving, they are planning to get their next round of crops in the ground.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, announced he had intervened on the issue, adding that they had come to “a positive resolution that benefits all parties involved”.

“Our ministry remains dedicated to creating a supportive and collaborative environment for farmers and leaseholders while ensuring compliance with statutory regulations.”

Colonel Burch said he had met Mr Symonds for “an amicable solution” in a spirit of co-operation with the island’s farmers.

He said the intent was to support the use of government-owned land for agriculture, helping farmers to thrive and build the agricultural sector.

Colonel Burch said that after “open and constructive dialogue”, he agreed to suspend the termination of the lease, provided Mr Symonds submits a retroactive planning application by the end of next month.

“The public will recall that the decision to terminate Mr Symonds' lease was made after careful consideration and adherence to the terms and conditions of his lease agreement.

“It's essential to provide context to the situation. Mr Symonds had erected structures on the property without obtaining the necessary planning approvals or seeking the consent of the ministry.

“In May 2023, the Department of Planning issued a planning contravention notice to the Ministry of Public Works, the landlord, over the unauthorised structures Mr Symonds had erected, including chicken coops and sheds.

“Both the ministry and the Department of Planning expressed a willingness to work with Mr Symonds, provided he submitted a retroactive planning application to address the situation.”

Colonel Burch said the farmer was given six extra months in May of last year.

He added that Mr Symonds had attempted twice to submit a retroactive application, with the electronic system rejecting both without indicating the errors.

Ministry officials were now said to be helping Mr Symonds to prepare and submit a completed retroactive application.

Colonel Burch added: "It has always been our intention to avoid terminating Mr Symonds's lease, and I firmly believe in supporting opportunities for local farmers.

"While I regret that our ministry has had to take this course of action, I am very pleased that it has led to a positive resolution.”