ASK any chef and they will tell you that a good bit of a beef needs to be well hung to develop its flavour.

But in south Cumbria there is something of a space shortage and finding a corner in a cold room to hang a carcass is proving increasingly difficult.

To deal with the dilemma, Mark Southern, of Penny Bridge, near Ulverston, has just submitted a planning application to convert his disused dairy into a small beef-hanging and cutting facility.

The unit, with a capacity for eight to ten carcasses, would be used for hanging meat from his own 51-strong herd of diminutive Dexters as well as animals from other farmers. He is also planning facilities to allow a hired butcher to cut meat there ready for sale direct to consumers.

"One of the problems I have is getting a consistent finish to the beef once it has been slaughtered," said Mr Southern, this year's president of the Cartmel Show. "With Winders abattoir, at Ulverston, gone and with Aireys, at High Newton, not having enough room, I thought the best thing to do would be to set up my own."

Mr Southern, who sells half his meat to Gilpin Lodge Restaurant, at Crook, near Windermere, hopes the unit will be a useful facility for farmers selling premium meat to restaurants and through farmers' markets.

"The farmers I know who are selling direct have the same difficulty getting a consistent finish to the meat because they can't control the environment it's hanging in. The key element to your brand is that quality and consistency."

The facility would cost around £20,000 to set up once refrigeration was installed as well as a new roof so Mr Southern was hoping to win some grant aid from Rural Regeneration Cumbria.

If all went well, and he secured the change of use planning application from South Lakeland District Council, he hoped to have the facility open by "late spring, early summer" 2005.

A large cutting and hanging facility at Tebay, supported by RRC, is also due to come online next year.