Controversial chicken farm for 270,000 birds to be determined by committee
Plans for a chicken farm to house 270,000 birds will be determined by a committee next week, when officers will recommend they are approved.
The controversial plans have been roundly condemned by people living in the village of Great Ponton, which will be only 1.5km from the farm if it is given the go ahead.
South Kesteven District Council’s planning committee will meet on Wednesday, in the council chamber on St Peter’s Hill.
Villagers have raised concerns over road safety, smells from the farm and polluted water running into watercourses nearby.
The headteacher of the village school has also hit out at the plans. Keith Leader, headteacher of Great Ponton Primary School, has previously described the plans as potentially “catastrophic” for his school.
Mr Leader said he feared that parents of potential pupils would be put off by a nearby chicken farm and send their children to other schools, putting the future of the school in doubt.
This week, Great Ponton villager and protester Richard Parkinson told the Journal: “Many residents of Great Ponton and neighbouring communities remain deeply concerned about this proposed, industrial-scale development.
“Concerns include potential odour, noise, health and ecological effects, especially given its proximity to the village primary school and the River Witham, with its wildlife habitats.
“Another big concern is the impact of traffic, due to the size and volume of so many additional vehicles on local roads that are already hazardous.
“Hopefully, the planning committee will appreciate these concerns and refuse this application.”
The plan for the chicken farm includes six poultry sheds, a bungalow for agricultural workers and a bio-mass building, as well as a storage barn, nine feed bins, six air heat exchangers, eight gas tanks and a pump house. The plans also include improvements to access to the site from the High Dyke.
According to the plans, the poultry unit will run to a 37-day growing cycle with about a third of the birds thinned out at day 33 and the remaining removed at day 37.
There would be a period of about seven days at the end of each cycle for cleaning out, inspection and preparation for the next batch of incoming birds.