Finding a way for applicants through the poultry maze

According to the Farmers Guardian recently an application to build four poultry units to house up to 225,000 broilers in Faintree, Bridgnorth, was given the go-ahead. Less than a week before, a shed capable of housing 16,000 hens in Haddington, East Lothian, was rejected. This came as an egg business in The Leigh, Gloucester, continued to be left hanging more than two years after its initial proposal for three poultry units to house up to 155,000 chickens.

At Roger Parry & Partners we know that a great deal of thought would have gone in already by applicants and their families or business partners before coming to the conclusion that they want to diversify into some sort of poultry production. We completely understand their nervousness in applying for planning when they hear how long the process can take and the costs involved in turning their dream to run a poultry business into a reality.

There is no doubt in our minds that both the individual farmer and the rural economy benefit in the long term from poultry unit developments whether they are for broilers, rearing pullets or free range eggs.

I’m used to tackling the challenges that these sorts of planning applications can throw up, but if the site is right, with justification and expertise, an application will go through. I have a near 100 per cent success rate with poultry unit planning applications and we have maintained this through appeals when a council has decided against an application.

The main considerations we have to take into account to make a potential poultry production site ‘right’ include:

• Proximity to neighbours

• Highway access

• Nitrogen and ammonia dispersion

• Drainage

• Flooding

• Manure management

• Historical assets

• Smell is always a reason for objections but the smell from poultry production is no worse than dairy farming

We have helped over 150 farmers in both England and Wales to achieve their ambition of diversifying into poultry production over the past 10 years.

Richard Corbett, Partner, Oswestry office of Roger Parry & Partners