Chicken farm near Shrewsbury set to triple in size

An extra two free-range egg laying units, each housing 32,000 birds, will be built at Painsbrook Farm in Hadnall, near an existing shed of the same size.

The scheme was unanimously supported by Shropshire Council’s northern planning committee, after members deferred a decision last month over concerns about how manure from the site would be dealt with.

Planning officer Philip Mullineux told the committee that the applicant had now confirmed that manure would be taken to an anaerobic digestion site.

Councillor Simon Jones, who represents Shawbury division, spoke at the meeting in support of the application.

He said: “This has been an ongoing application for quite some time now and the deferral last month was subject to two conditions.

“Those, as the officer has reported, have now been addressed so I would hope that the committee will agree to the officer recommendation to approve.”

Committee chairman Councillor Paul Wynn proposed granting permission for the new chicken sheds.

This was seconded by Councillor Mark Jones, who said: “It’s the third time it has come to committee.

“We do need more eggs – the shelves are getting emptied at the moment.

“Farming does need a bit of support and this does show that Shropshire Council does support poultry, but you have got to jump through all the loopholes to make sure you build it properly.”

Members unanimously voted to approve the plans.

A previous application for the site was rejected in March 2022 after the committee said not enough information had been provided to address a series of concerns over the application, and refused the expansion.

At the time, Mr Mullineux said the application “falls well short” of the the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations.

Prior to this, an initial application was withdrawn in 2021.