Controversial plans for sheds for 70,000 chickens in Staffordshire approved
There have been hundreds of objections from the public
Two sheds for up to 70,000 broiler chickens will be built at a Staffordshire farm, despite hundreds of objections from the public. Planning committee members at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council approved an application for the poultry houses at Willoughbridge Lodge Farm, near Loggerheads.
The plans, submitted by Parton Poulets Ltd, attracted more than 900 objections, around 700 of which were standard petition letters, which came from local residents as well as from other parts of the UK and even countries such as France and the Netherlands. Market Drayton-based Parton Poulets says facilities such as the one proposed for Willoughbridge Lodge Farm are needed in order to meet demand for higher welfare standards within the food industry.
Objectors raised concerns over odour, highways and the potential pollution of watercourses, as well as opposing the principle of factory farming. They also argued that the development would bring little economic benefit to the local area, with the creation of just one full-time job.
But the application was recommended for approval by planning officers at the borough council, who said the scheme complied with local and national policy.
A number of objectors attended the meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday night. Loggerheads ward councillor Andrew Turnock told the committee that the scale of opposition indicated a ‘groundswell of public resistance’ to the plans.
He said: “The level of local opposition to the application has reached a total of 975 objections. This isn’t just a few disgruntled neighbours who object to this proposal.
“This application seeks to land a giant chicken rearing warehouse on an existing agricultural field, the scale of which is wholly disproportionate to the size of the sight and the ancient historical location. It is simply fanciful to suggest that development on such an industrial scale will not have an adverse impact.”
Officers told the committee that the council’s environmental health team did not consider odour to be a significant issue, and also noted that highways had not raised an objection.
One of the objectors Kathryn Robey, director at the nearby Dorothy Clive Garden, argued that is ‘unbelievable’ that HGVs travelling to and from the farm will not have an impact on local country lanes. She also raised concerns that smell from the chicken sheds would impact on local residents and harm tourist businesses – potentially resulting in the loss of jobs.
She said: “We’re not talking about a faint whiff of manure, which frankly we live with at the moment and have no problem with, we’re talking about persistent moderately offensive odours that will prevent residents from opening windows or enjoying gardens.”
Ian Pick, speaking on behalf of the applicants, said that the application had been developed carefully in line with national and local planning policy and advice from the borough council had been followed. He told the committee that the sheds would allow more space for the chickens, compared to traditional poultry farms.
Mr Pick said: “At the public’s behest, the poultry industry has adopted lower stocking density standards and a higher welfare approach backed by major retailers and companies. This means giving birds 20 per cent more space than traditional systems. This is a positive step for animal welfare, but has practical consequences.
“To meet current demand under these higher standards, the UK requires approximately 550 new poultry sheds. The application is part of that national transition.”
Mr Pick said that much of the opposition to the plans had been driven by a ‘nationally co-ordinated campaign’.
A number of committee members said they sympathised with the objectors’ concerns, particularly in relation to odour – comparing the situation to the long-running problems at Walleys Quarry. But other councillors pointed out that there were no realistic planning reasons to refuse the application – and raised concerns that the committee would be risking a cost award against the council if a refusal was overturned on appeal.
Councillor Mark Holland said: “At heart this is an application for farming on a farm. It’s an agricultural area, it’s an agricultural use. We’re used to seeing in this committee applications, in the very near vicinity to this site, for housing. We’re used to seeing farmers selling up for their fields to be turned into housing estates.”
The committee eventually approved the application by a single vote.