Issue - meetings

The Chairman introduced the next application for consideration, number 143510 for erection of poultry farm for chicken production, including 6no. poultry houses, 1no. agricultural workers dwelling and associated infrastructure, at Johnnies Farm, land East of Plum Products Ltd, The Cliff, Ingham. The Officer updated the Committee that a signed completed copy of the unilateral undertaking had been received that day and there had been a comment received from the Department of Levelling Up Housing Communities stating they had no comment to make in relation to the environmental statement submitted with the application.

The Chairman stated there was one registered speaker, Mr Ian Pick, Agent for the Applicant. Mr Pick made the following statement.

“Thank you Chairman, Members. These planning applications involve a very complex process. Significant site selection criteria is required before we put forward these planning applications into the planning system. The issues that we need to address with these types of planning applications relate to residential amenity. The sites need to be remote from neighbours in order to comply with the Environment Agency's rules for environmental permitting for the protection of amenity so, in terms of putting these applications forward, we have to model noise, we have to model odour, to make sure it complies with the Environment Agency criteria for the granting environmental permit. That was all done prior to submitting this planning application and the development site was compliant with those rules.

We also have to look at ammonia impact to offsite sites of ecological importance, which is following Environment Agency and Natural England criteria. We're looking at whether the development will have an adverse impact on ancient woodlands, local wildlife sites, special scientific interest or special areas of conservation. Our ammonia impact assessment for this development showed it was compliant with the Natural England and Environment Agency thresholds for the development. We've also got to look at highways. These developments require HGV access for food deliveries and the collection of the birds to take them to the factory and the removal of the manure, so we need good access to the main road network.

In terms of this site, we have the two tier consenting process. We need planning permission to build it and we need an environmental permit to operate it. We've already been granted the environmental permit to operate by the Environment Agency, and that covers matters of disposal of waste, residential amenity, noise, odour, ammonia, drainage. In terms of the highways’ impacts of the development, we have been in negotiation with the Highway Authority, who came back to us wanting some improvement to the highway access. We have agreed to, and provided plans for, widening of the entrance and widening of the access road into the site so that two HGVs can pass. In terms of the ammonia issue, we are fully compliant with environmental permitting and Natural England regulations.

In terms of the consultation on this application, we've presented an application for a poultry unit. This type of development generally  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73