Anger over fresh bid for 216,000-bird farm in Shropshire

The chairman of the parish council said the applicants are “showing a total disrespect for the residents” by submitting the third application for four poultry units in Hopton Heath, Clungunford.

Philip Mann of Bedstone Growers has applied for the broiler rearing units which measure 109.73 metres by 24.5 metres and would each house 54,000 birds.

Each poultry building would have a control room, and there would also be stores, 10 feed bins, and a biomass boiler house.

A new access to the B4385 would be created with a new access track and an area for parking and turning vehicles. The plans say that a noise assessment has been commissioned and the plans are now acceptable according to the pre-application advice.

It says: “Following the issue of the appeal decision, the applicants have commissioned a detailed noise impact assessment together with noise mitigation measures to reduce the impacts of the development to an acceptable level.

“The pre-application advice confirms that the proposals are now acceptable in terms of noise impacts and there is no objection from Environmental Health with regard to noise issues.”

The poultry units would create an extra two full time jobs on the site.

The plans add: “The farm provides employment and income for three generations of the Mann family, and the additional poultry buildings will ensure that this can continue for the younger generation.”

But chairman of Clungunford Parish Council, Jonathan Roberts, said residents are getting angered by the application.

He said: “We were very surprised that the application was resurrected yet again.

“The applicant reckons he has solved the noise problems, but we as a council have objected to virtually all of the grounds as last time. People are really rather angry about it now. The local feeling is the applicants are showing a total disrespect for the residents.

“The scale of it is totally disproportionate to its surroundings, it’s in the wrong position. The applicants already have chicken sheds over the road and when they’re cleaned out there’s an almighty stink for the residents.”

“It’s quite obvious there will be hugely more traffic movements than has been represented.”

The proposed chicken farm in Hopton Heath, Clungunford, was initially approved by Shropshire Council in 2014, before Clungunford Parish Council threatened to take the matter to High Court.

Shropshire Council’s legal team then told protesters that they would not put up a fight as there was “some merit” in the complaints raised.

Then a year later the plans were resubmitted to the authority before being thrown out by the council’s south planning committee.

But the applicants appealed the decision which was thrown out by the Government appointed inspector earlier this year.

A decision will be made on the latest application in the coming months.