Oxfordshire chicken farm expansion avoids environmental assessment

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 06:19 · Archive

An Oxfordshire chicken farm's expansion to 320,000 birds will not need an environmental impact assessment.

A proposal to expand College Farm in Bletchingdon by adding two poultry houses will not require an environmental impact assessment as it moves forward with a planning application. A Cherwell planning officer has determined that the two new houses, each containing a combined 80,000 birds, will take the farm's capacity to 320,000 birds. An environmental impact assessment is mandatory for chicken farms if they introduce 85,000 new bird places.

The original farm plan of six buildings, each containing up to 50,000 chickens, was approved by the planning inspectorate at an appeal in 2017. According to an inspector's report, each poultry house would operate on a 45-day growing cycle with seven-day clean-out periods, anticipating 7.5 flocks per annum. Finished birds would be removed to a processing plant 17 miles away.

Since the original permission was granted, the farm has adopted lower stocking density and higher welfare standards, with 40,000 chickens per house, reducing its operating capacity to 240,000 birds from the originally approved 300,000.

How it is being reported

• Chicken farm 80,000 bird expansion can move forward without eco checkA proposal to expand an Oxfordshire chicken farm to hold 320,000 birds is set to avoid an environmental check as it moves forward.Oxford Mail · 9 Oct, 05:00
• Chicken farm 80,000 bird expansion can move forward without eco checkA proposal to expand an Oxfordshire chicken farm to hold 320,000 birds is set to avoid an environmental check as it moves forward.Oxfordshire Guardian · 9 Oct, 05:00

In this story: College Farm · Bletchingdon · Cherwell · Oxfordshire

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