New questions in poultry farm row
Now permit and passing place concerns are raised
A Tullybelton man battling plans for a poultry layer farm to be built near his home fears PKC is being too lenient on the developer who he reckons is trying to wriggle out of conditions imposed when the bid went through the planning process.
David Murray claims he has heard the German company behind the bid wants to drop the number of adult hens that are going to be kept at the 4.5ha site within Tullybelton Wood in what he considers to be a deliberate move to dodge being regulated by environmental watchdog SEPA.
Perth and Kinross Council’s development management committee heard back in November last year that up to 43,500 birds would be kept at the “intensive” farming facility and a report recommending members approve the application stated that “as such it will require a permit from SEPA”.
The report went on to state the applicant would be “advised to contact SEPA regarding the requirement for a Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Part A Permit” which would consider “slurry (and manure) storage, odour management, noise management [and] point source and fugitive emissions”.
Recalling what was said at the November meeting and the kinds of
David Murray
questions that were asked about SEPA’s involvement in regulating all of the above Mr Murray told the PA: “The reply came back that all these things would be handled by SEPA.
“I had a conversation with SEPA shortly afterwards and they said they would be involved but that they couldn’t comment until they received the application for a permit.”
However Mr Murray went on to claim that after that conversation he received word Lohmann Tierzucht UK Ltd had indicated it wants to drop the number of hens to be kept on the site to below 40,000, at which points he says SEPA told him it would not be involved in overseeing the farm.
“In March SEPA phoned me to say they would no longer be involved because they have a threshold of 40,000 birds [and] that anything less than 40,000 would be too small and insignificant for them to be involved in,” he said.
Mr Murray believes if this is the David Murray
case planning permission should be revoked and another application should be submitted so that planning officers attach new conditions ensuring that all of the above is regulated in some way.
Mr Murray went on to point out that since the November meeting Lohmann Tierzucht UK Ltd has also been able to persuade council officers to drop the number of passing places it was supposed to provide on a narrow rural road near the site which was also supposed to be subject to a planning condition.
The report recommending the application be approved had stated that “a minimum of four passing places (unless otherwise agreed in writing) shall be constructed on the U32 from the junction of the C408 by Letham Farm to the A9 at Newmill Farm.”
However Mr Murray has learned that since then PKC has agreed to reduce this number so that only three passing places will be provided, which he believes is too few for what he considers to be a potentially dangerous road including a blind corner near the A9.
“What is behind the reason for cutting down the number of passing places?” he asked. “I just don’t understand it.”
Asked to what extent SEPA will be involved in overseeing the operation and why the applicant had been allowed to reduce the number of passing places to be provided near the site PKC had failed to respond by the PA’s deadline yesterday.
However a SEPA spokesperson has since insisted Lohmann Tierzucht UK Ltd will be applying for a Pollution Prevention and Control permit and that SEPA will be regulating the site.
A spokesperson said: “SEPA has been approached by the operator of a proposed poultry farm near Tullybelton, regarding pre-application for a Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permit.
“The PPC permit will require the operator to control and mitigate pollution from the site, including odour and noise, and will be regulated by SEPA.
“A formal application has yet to be submitted by the operator for consideration, however we would expect to receive this in due course.”
The PA has attempted to contact Lohmann Tierzucht UK Ltd for comment but, so far, the company has not got back in touch.