Villagers consider legal action after chicken farm plan is backed

Villagers say they will consider taking legal action after councillors gave plans for a chicken farm the green light despite more than 1,000 objections.

West Suffolk Council approved the proposal for four poultry breeder sheds at Cross Green Farm, in Hopton Road, Thelnetham.

Ahead of the meeting of the development control committee, concerned residents protested outside the authority's headquarters in Bury St Edmunds.

Susan Coe, a member of Thelnetham Parish Council, said opponents would seek legal advice over a potential judicial review.

One of those concerned about the impact of the project was Thelnetham resident of 15 years Darren Lewitt, who described the decision as "devastating".

"It just sums up that councillors unfortunately think they know more than the villagers," he said, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The villages know their community and support all the farmers – it isn't about farming, this is about factory farming being brought in."

The plans were submitted by Gareth Hart, who wants to replace 250 old sow buildings with the new sheds, an administration block and a gatehouse.

The application said the project would ensure the expansion of his operation and the long-term financial viability of his farm.

But the proposal did not go down well with villagers concerned about animal welfare and the impact that more than 280 extra vehicles each year could have on roads and safety.

Carol Bull, a Conservative member of the development control committee and the council's ward member for Thelnetham, added: "Residents are fearful this development will change their small village forever.

"What they are being asked to live with, in reality, will be an industrial-type operation in the heart of their village."

But not everyone agreed.

A highways officer told councillors that the application would not have a "severe and cumulative" impact on roads.

Reform UK committee member Ian Houlder, meanwhile, said lorries on narrow lanes were "part of the natural economy" and pointed out that residents had coped with the issues for decades and would continue to do so.

Fellow committee member Andy Neal, an Independent, said he understood the community's concerns, but the plans were simply for an existing farm seeking to change its product.

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