Catherine Withers, 52, whose family has worked on the farm since the 1960s and farmed in the area since Tudor times, feared their livelihood would be ruined when Redrow housebuilders wanted to build 200 new homes across 15 acres of her Yew Tree Farm in Bristol.

       Ms Withers said it would be “untenable” to run the farm if Redrow’s plans were to go ahead and the development would have seen the destruction of one of the last city farms in Britain, and the last working farm in Bristol.

       Thankfully, the family has now won a potential reprieve from Bristol’s mayor, Marvin Rees.

       Mr Rees vowed to block the proposals and prevent the destruction of a traditional hay meadow, which is home to rare adder snakes and nesting skylarks.

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       Ms Withers said she was “in shock” after Mr Rees made the unexpected announcement on September 6.

       She said: “The farm deserves saving, it really is a special piece of land. We would have lost the last farm in Bristol, and we would have had to find somewhere else.

       “It would have broken my heart, I couldn’t have watched the diggers turn up. It would have been a horrible ending and really sad end for Bristol.”

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       In a statement Mr Rees said he would recommend the 15 acres of farm, which Catherine rents, should be protected from development in a new local plan.