Firm ordered to stop building work on megafarm

Under the plans, more than 430,000 chickens would be housed at the site

One of the UK's largest poultry suppliers has been ordered by a local council to stop building work to expand a huge factory farm.

Breckland Council in Norfolk said "unauthorised construction" had been taking place at a site in Great Hockham, which is operated by Hook 2 Sisters.

The Coalition Against Factory Farming (CAFF) campaign group said it had received reports from neighbours that work had started in March, despite the company not having planning permission.

Hook 2 Sisters – which wants to increase the number of birds processed at the site from 106,000 to 434,000 – has been asked for comment.

The firm is a major supplier to the UK's main supermarkets.

Its farm at Great Hockham currently processes turkeys, but the company plans to house chickens there instead.

The Coalition Against Factory Farming said work had been taking place on the site since earlier this year

The new expanded sheds would make it one of the largest poultry units in the country, leading to concerns the increased ammonia emissions could harm sensitive nature sites nearby.

Ammonia is a gas released through animal waste and it can harm the environment and people's health.

CAFF said it had been told demolition of farm buildings began in March, with construction work starting last month.

"Given the scale of the new proposal, this development could become one of the largest sources of ammonia and particulate matter pollution in Norfolk," said CAFF's legal strategy coordinator, Maya Pardo.

John Nuttridge, who lives near the site, said he was concerned that chickens would suffer, whilst the site would "further pollute our neighbourhood for corporate profit".

'Temporary stop notice'

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Breckland Council issued a stop notice on August 20, halting any building work for 56 days, and that officers would make regular unannounced inspections to ensure the notice was complied with.

A spokeswoman for the council said it had "acted to halt all unauthorised works through a temporary stop notice".

"The landowners have indicated they are in the process of submitting a retrospective planning application,"

"If the application is not forthcoming before the notice expires, the council will consider all other options, including moving to a Full Stop Notice and Enforcement Notice."

While work has ceased, Hook 2 Sisters does have planning permission for three poultry units to the south of the site, which can lawfully continue to operate.

The company has also applied to the Environment Agency for a variation of its permit to allow for the farm's expansion but this does not provide the opportunity for planning officials the chance to assess the environmental impacts of the site.

The planning row mirrors a similar situation at Cherry Tree Farm in Stow Bedon, where a 7,000-capacity pig farm owned by Cranswick is involved in an ongoing dispute with Breckland Council over building work it completed without planning permission.

Local residents have complained of frequent problems with noxious smells coming from the site, with neighbours fearing it could be harming their health.

And earlier this year the company was refused permission for a so-called megafarm at Methwold that would have housed more than 714,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs.