'Enough is enough': Legal challenge launched over council's decision to approve 230,000-chicken farm

River Action is funding an application for a judicial review over the council's decision to approve a 230,000-bird unit at North Farm, Felton Butler – run by LJ Cooke & Son.

The application was approved by the council in May after nearly seven years of back-and-forth over the plans.

River Action is a group focused on campaigning over pollution affecting waterways – specifically from agriculture, such as large egg farms.

It has been campaigning over the state of the River Wye since 2021.

The claimant, Dr Alison Caffyn, who lives in Shropshire and is a member of River Action’s advisory board, is represented by the environment team at law firm Leigh Day.

Dr Caffyn said: "I am delighted to have the opportunity, supported by River Action, to challenge this attempt to impose yet another massive factory farm upon the beautiful Shropshire countryside.

"Enough is enough. We simply cannot allow the creation of more of these giant clusters of polluting poultry units.

"There are already well over 20 million chickens in Shropshire, we don’t need more. Before we know it, the River Severn will soon be suffering the same pollution load as the neighbouring Wye – all because of these misguided and ill-informed planning decisions by Shropshire Council."

Charles Watson, chair of River Action, said that planning applications for chicken farms across Powys and Herefordshire had been treated as individual applications, rather than considering the cumulative impact.

He said: “Like an appalling car crash in slow motion, exactly the same set of tragic events is now unfolding a few miles away in the neighbouring catchment of the River Severn."

He added: "River Action is determined to prevent a re-run of the environmental scandal of the Wye taking place across yet another one of the UK’s iconic rivers – hence why we have instigated and are actively supporting this critical legal action.”

Leigh Day environment team solicitor Ricardo Gama said: "Our client hopes that her claim for judicial review will set a precedent for local authorities across the country determining planning applications for similar developments which will cumulatively have severe impacts on protected sites. She believes that there needs to be a complete rethink of this approach."

Asked about the action, a Shropshire Council spokesman said: "The decision to grant planning permission for four poultry buildings at North Farm was made having taken full account of the likely environmental impacts of the proposal on the environment, including on water resources.

"The permission includes a number of conditions to control how the development is carried out, and the operation would also be regulated under an Environmental Permit. Shropshire Council has received a claim form for judicial review of the decision to grant planning permission and is considering its position.”

A spokesman for LJ Cooke & Son declined to comment, saying the issue was a matter between the council and River Action.