Green light for family to build smaller home next to chicken farm
A family have had plans approved to build a home next to their chicken farm in rural Shropshire - after the original plans were scaled back.
Telford & Wrekin Council has approved plans for the building of a three-bedroom ‘rural worker’ home on land next to Roden Poultry Unit.
The house will be positioned off a ‘long private track’ leading to the chicken farm, which previously had permission granted for four poultry sheds housing a total of 260,000 birds.
Applicant Rodenhurst Hall Ltd said in its design and access statement: “The new dwelling is within viewing distance to allow for security as well as quick and convenient access to the units.
“The dwelling will house two generations of the Chitty Family, with both Sophie and Rupert Chitty managing and working at the poultry site. Workers at the farm will also access the biosecurity area and attend any meetings in the home office.
“By providing a sustainable and flexible family home that will allow for modern living, provide the spaces required for countryside/farm living and ensure a young family can live and grow in Roden.”
Plans include a ‘bio-security area’ within the ground floor of the property providing an area for changing, separate washer and dryer and access to a ground floor shower room.
“All the poultry workers have to change every morning into specialist work clothes prior to entering and after leaving the chicken sheds,” the application added.
“This will provide the space to do so. The additional laundry equipment is due to the laundering of at least five workers' clothes on a daily basis. These are to be laundered separately from the household clothes/towels/bedding etc.”
Telford & Wrekin Council approved outline permission for the development in January, but then refused a reserved matters application in June.
The council has now approved the reserved matters application. In accepting the application, the council commented: “A previous reserved matters application was refused due to the excessive scale of the proposed dwelling.
“This application is a resubmission seeking to address the reason for refusal and has reduced the proposed floor area by approximately 78m2 (square metre), providing a 178m2 dwelling over two floors, as opposed to a 256m2 dwelling over three floors which did not demonstrate compliance with the Telford & Wrekin Local Plan.”
The council’s planning department added that the property will be built off a private track and naturally screened, meaning that it would not be viewed from the main highway.
“Officers are satisfied that the proposed dwelling will be an appropriate addition, and would respect and preserve the appearance and the character of the area,” the planning approval added.
“Given the siting of the proposed dwelling and the scale of the plot, the scheme would have no significant detrimental impacts upon the amenity of neighbouring properties.”
The council’s ecology department requested flowerbeds be included on the plan and a hedgerow around the whole perimeter.
Meanwhile, Ercall Magna Parish Council, commented that ‘as part of any consent, it is important that permitted development rights are removed in order that any future extension or changes will require a new planning application and can then be assessed in accordance with the current planning policies’.
The council’s planning officer confirmed that condition was attached to the outline planning approval.
