Chicken farm backed after seven-year planning row

Plans were first submitted for the chicken farm in November 2017

A seven-year planning battle over a chicken farm has been resolved, after it was finally given the go-ahead by a council.

Four 109m (358ft) chicken sheds will be built to house up to 230,000 birds at North Farm, near Felton Butler, Shropshire.

Shropshire Council's northern planning committee agreed updated plans to deal with odour pollution and highways movements addressed earlier concerns – despite strong objections from some local residents.

However, neighbour Peter Ellis said the quality of life for residents who live in and around the farm would suffer.

More than 1,000 people signed an online petition when the application was first submitted and the council has received 32 letters of objection from residents.

The number of chicken farms already operating in the area means the council should take a wider view on the scheme, especially over objectors' concerns over possible effects on the River Severn catchment, Mr Ellis explained.

"We already live with a 490,000 bird capacity chicken farm near us – this generates odour and traffic," he said.

“It is wrong to look at planning permission on a unit-by-unit basis, a wider perspective is needed urgently.

"The UK is 96% self-sufficient in chicken and we do not need more sites."

Mr Ellis urged planners to "please give a higher priority to the environment and the quality of life for residents throughout Shropshire and refuse this application".

The proposal was submitted by LJ Cooke and Son in 2017 but a decision was recently deferred twice by the planning committee.

At the meeting where the farm was finally approved, councillor Ed Potter sought assurances on roads in the area, which he described as the “chicken capital of Shropshire”.

He also called for the committee to consider applying “significant and robust” conditions to ensure the roads leading to the site from Felton Butler roundabout were maintained.

However, planning specialist Richard Corbett, representing agents Roger Parry and Partners, said they had worked hard with the local authority to overcome the concerns over the scheme.

Mr Corbett explained that the farm would be “industry leading” with regard to emissions and odour-scrubbing technology.

The applicant’s representative told the meeting six passing places had been incorporated into proposed highways improvements to ease traffic concerns.

“We respect the views of the local objectors and I feel we’ve worked with the council to overcome most of these concerns,” Mr Corbett said.

“We’ve included the most up-to-date air scrubbing technology, reducing emissions and odour, we will ensure carbon-efficient food meeting the ever increasing need for high welfare chicken and ensuring food security.”

When quizzed by councillors, officers said they had considered government guidance that recommends a 3km (1.9miles) separation gap between chicken farms.

The scheme was approved by a majority vote of the committee, with one objection and one abstention.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.