Chicken farm proposals put on hold for more consultation

Rural Perthshire residents will urge the farmer behind plans for a chicken farm with 32,000 birds to tear up his business blueprint and start again.

Ardler residents have said they cannot countenance the “industrial scale” development so close to their homes.

Hours before staging a second public meeting, farmer Peter Grewar contacted neighbours to let them know he had temporarily withdrawn his application.

He has accepted that the community had not been part of his plans previously and said he wanted to give local people more time to discuss the proposals with him

A working group is being set up by the community and it is hoped members will stage the first talks with the farmer by the end of the year.

Mr Grewar said: “While we have done everything that was required of us in terms of extensive pre-application discussions with Perth and Kinross Council, we would accept that the people of Ardler and the surrounding area have not been part of these discussions and, further, we recognise that they have not felt they have been given enough time to fully appraise and comment on the application.

“Therefore, we have given instruction to temporarily withdraw the planning application so that residents are given the time that they have asked for to look at this.”

Resident Anthony Troon was among the 60 or so people who packed into the Ardler Tavern to debate the plans. He welcomed the new move.

“I don’t think anyone has said that Peter Grewar’s chicken farm plan should not go ahead. Everyone wants to be constructive,” he said.