Wiltshire 2 Sisters broiler farm decision ‘on hold’
Wiltshire Council has deferred a decision on whether a chicken farm near Warminster, with more than 200,000 birds, can reopen.
Although the council had recommended the planning application for approval, residents submitted 140 letters of objection, along with a 400-name petition produced by the Spitting Feathers action group.
They claimed reopening and expanding the farm would increase traffic, with noise and smell causing local equine and industrial businesses to close. However, 2 Sisters Food Group, which is behind the plans and is investing across the region, said the site was an existing poultry farm, which housed about 155,000 birds before closing in 2005. It has applied to replace four existing poultry sheds with five new buildings accommodating almost 224,000 birds.
“We are still very positive about the application – the council has recommended it for approval and we’ve done a lot of work with the local community informing them about the bigger picture,” said 2 Sisters’ Andrew Hanson. “Poultry is a growth market and more farms are needed. In relative terms, this site is on the smaller end of the scale, and has lots of benefits in terms of creating jobs.”
Stuart Figini, democratic services officer at Wiltshire Council, said councillors wanted the Environment Agency to grant the required IPPC permit before considering the application again. “Councillors felt that they didn’t have enough information to make an informed decision until the permit is approved.”
Mr Hanson said an IPPC permit would usually follow a planning permission and would take three months to secure. “The Environment Agency has already indicated it is satisfied with our proposals,” he said.