Plan to house 70,000 chickens in two sheds gets the all clear

Go-ahead despite more than 900 objections

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

TWO sheds for up to 70,000 broiler chickens will be built at a North Staffordshire farm - despite hundreds of objections from the public.

Planning committee members at Newcastle Borough Council approved an application for the poultry houses at Willoughbridge Lodge Farm, near Loggerheads.

The plans, submitted by Parton Poulets Ltd, attracted more than 900 objections, around 700 of which were standard petition letters, which came from local residents as well as from other parts of the UK and even countries such as France and the Netherlands.

Market Drayton-based Parton Poulets says facilities such as the one proposed for Willoughbridge Lodge Farm are needed in order to meet demand for higher welfare standards within the food industry.

Objectors raised concerns over odour, highways and the potential pollution of watercourses, as well as opposing the principle of factory farming.