Chicken farm plans go to Powys County Council

Plans for a 150,000-capacity chicken farm at Frochas, near Welshpool have been submitted to Powys County Council.

The scheme submitted by J.T. Owen of Frochas Farm is for three 5.5metres high chicken sheds, totalling 7,200 square metres and is certain to face fierce opposition from neighbours.

In January more than 50 concerned residents attended a meeting of Welshpool Town Council’s Planning Committee in Welshpool Town Hall when a pre-planning application document was revealed by agents Roger Parry & Partners.

Residents fear that the major development of an intensive broiler unit and silos at Frochas Farm, just over a mile from Welshpool town centre, may have a direct impact on homes and businesses in terms of ammonia emissions, pollution, manure odour, waste, house and land value, noise pollution and a dramatic increase in heavy vehicle traffic.

Residents told the developers they would be objecting on a number of issues and County Councillor Graham Breeze told the meeting he would ensure the application went to a full planning meeting for a decision and would not be decided by officers.

The Town Council wrote to Roger Parry & Partners and Powys County Council saying they would be objecting on the following grounds:

a) Concern over the impact the development might have on the landscape and local environment and there needs to be evidence of how this can be mitigated.

b) Concern over health and environmental issues and would suggest that evidence of how these issues can be overcome needs to be part of any planning application.

c) Concern over the increase in traffic movements – an impact assessment on traffic issues needs to be produced.

d) A footpath diversion order will be required.

e) Concern over the views from Llanerchyddol Hall and Llanerchyddol Park towards development – a mitigation report to address these issues will be required to demonstrate the effect and its acceptability.

f) Concern over the water table and how the development might affect this – a study into this is needed to give confidence that the scheme will work.

g) Concern about the effect on plant life – an ecology report will be needed to show how such plant life will be protected.

h) Concern over the impact on the Dingle Nursery – an impact assessment will be needed to ascertain how much any effect might be.

i) Concern over how manure will be disposed of taking into account smells (when it is put on the land) and how it will be disposed of when the land is ‘full’.