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Press release from CPRE Shropshire. 24 May 2010.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England is calling on councillors to reject their planning officers’ advice and throw out plans for huge broiler units at Little Ness and Great Ness this Thursday. [1]

Roger Carlyle, Chairman of CPRE Shrewsbury and Atcham District says: “These units are too large and in the wrong place. They will damage Shropshire’s greatest asset, its beautiful tranquil landscape. The surrounding roads are quite unsuitable for the large vehicles that will deliver feed and take chickens and manure from the sites.”

He continues: “We cannot understand why planning officers are recommending that the applications be approved when there are so many objections from other council officers. The council’s countryside ranger says the units will ruin the view from The Cliffe. [2] Its landscape officer says that units will have a detrimental visual impact. [3] Its conservation officer is worried about damage to historic villages. [4] Natural England has said that the council should reject the applications because of fears of damage to ecological sites of national importance. [5] If the council approves these plans, it will not only be ignoring its own officers’ advice but also its own planning guidance. The council’s Core Strategy says that by 2026, the “natural and historic environment, the County’s greatest asset, will have been protected, restored and enhanced”. [6] If these units are approved, it will mean that the Core Strategy is not worth the paper it is written on.”

Roger concludes: “These proposals also fly in the face of government planning policy which aims ‘to protect the countryside for the sake of its intrinsic character and beauty, the diversity of its landscapes, heritage and wildlife, the wealth of its natural resources and so it may be enjoyed by all’. [7] These are countryside wrecking proposals and councillors must throw them out altogether on Thursday.”

Notes

[1] The applications were submitted nearly a year ago in July 2009. The proposals are for four poultry broiler units and ancillary works at Great Ness and five poultry units and ancillary works at Little Ness. The Strategic Planning Committee meets on Thursday 27th May 2010 at 3pm in The Shirehall. The broiler units are the only major agenda item. Planning officers are recommending that Councillors approve the applications in principle and delegate the final decision to officers.

[2] Shropshire Council’s Countryside Ranger, Lynne Dean, has objected because the units will ruin views from The Cliffe, a popular tourist attraction providing “one of the most outstanding views that Shropshire has to offer”. She told planners: “The two proposed sites for poultry units will be clearly visible from The Cliffe especially from the picnic area which is a popular site for visitors (which local businesses rely on). The development is not in keeping and scale to its location and it has no regard to the amenity of residents. The issue of smell and noise from the proposed poultry unit will also have an effect on this quiet rural site. The Cliffe is a popular site for quiet recreation and enjoyment of the relative peace of the countryside which will be disturbed by the noise and smell of these units. To say that there will not be any odours and emissions from these sites cannot be substantiated, it is clear that with prevailing winds that [the smell from] these units will reach both Nesscliffe and The Cliffe.”

[3] Shropshire Council’s Landscape Officer has complained that that the units “would locally have a significant landscape and visual impact”. He told planners that from some viewpoints, “the effects to be major at the outset and likely to remain major possibly moderate after 5 years and only after 10 – 15 years reduced to moderate”.

[4] Shropshire Council’s conservation officer has told planners that consideration is being given to designating Great Ness as a ‘conservation area’. He said: “there was a potential threat that the increase in volume of traffic generated by these proposals could harm the historic environment and its constituent parts through vibration and spray from the road. He said the local sandstone from which many of the historic structures were constructed were vulnerable to this potential damage.”

[5] Government wildlife watchdog, Natural England has recommended that Shropshire Council reject the Great Ness application because it has not had enough information to assess the effects of ammonia pollution on nearby internationally important wildlife sites.

[6] The Shropshire Council Core Strategy says: “The character, quality and diversity of Shropshire’s natural and historic environment, the County’s greatest asset, will have been protected, restored and enhanced [by 2026].” It also says: “The Shropshire landscape is a key economic asset creating not only an attractive place to live and work but also an important tourist destination”.

[7] Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas.