John Bilsborrow is due to meet planning officers on Friday following last week's decision by councillors to reject his project.

"I've no indication what they want yet and I don't know what they are going to come up with," he said.

Mr Bilsborrow had hoped to develop land in Ollerton so that his paralysed stepson Andrew Barber could keep sheep on his own farm.

But 29 letters of objection and a petition signed by more than 90 residents scuppered Mr Bilsborrow's plans.

Several residents described the removal of a 183-year-old mound of earth as vandalism.

"I just think it is about time we draw a line because we all have to live together and get on," said Mr Bilsborrow on Monday.

"If they want a bank putting back then I will do that because I don't want a war."

A fence - erected in its place - has since been vandalised.

On Monday a spokesman for Macclesfield Borough Council said Mr Bilsborrow would be offered advice on his next action and could appeal.

But the farmer said the main problem was where to house the 37 sheep due to be delivered in January.

"I might have to put up a temporary building, but I don't know if they'll let me do that either," he said.

Mr Barber, who worked on a farm, was paralysed in a car crash at 17.

He bought the land on Percival Lane in July and because he wanted to return to farming life and last week sought retrospective permission to remove a mound of earth that had surrounded his land since 1816.

It had been replaced by a fence, but since the work was done vandals have pulled up fence posts and cut the wire fencing.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.