Council signs off on planning conditions for 16,000-hen egg farm
The next stage in the development of a 16,000-hen egg laying unit has been given the green light.
Powys planners have approved a discharge planning application for a drainage scheme for the development, which is at Parc yr Esgob, Llanwnog, near Caersws.
Legislation in Wales which requires new developments to include Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) features came into force in January 2019.
The original planning application had been approved by Powys County Council’s Planning committee at a meeting on February 28, 2019.
Condition 24 of the planning permission stated that: “No building hereby permitted shall be occupied until surface water drainage works have been implemented in accordance with details that have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.”
KRS Environmental produced a surface water drainage assessment for the applicants, the Wainwright family who farm Parc yr Esgob.
KRS said: “This assessment demonstrates that the proposed development would be operated with minimal risk from flooding and would not increase flood risk elsewhere.
“The proposed development will considerably reduce the flood risk posed to the site and to off-site locations due to the adoption of a Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) Strategy.
“The proposed development should not therefore be precluded on the grounds of flood risk or drainage.”
The council’s flood risk and sustainable drainage engineer, Simon Crowther who studied the assessment, said that he was “content” that the condition had been met.
He advised planning officers that the condition “can be discharged.”
Senior planning officer Richard Evans confirmed that the condition had been complied with and a decision notice was sent to the family’s planning agent, Roger Parry and partners.
At the original planning committee meeting in 2019 councillors heard concerns from villagers who opposed the scheme.
They pointed out that there were already several other chicken farms nearby.
Applicant and third generation farmer John Wainwright told the committee that his family needed to diversify to survive.
Mr Wainwright said that the egg facility is “modest in size” and would complement the rest of the farm.
Councillors agreed the application but discussion over the conditions of consent was passed on to planning officers.
