Report for Item 6 - Swale Borough Council

2.6 (Contd) PART 2
Description of Proposal
This application seeks planning permission for the erection of a large poultry building
(85m long x 18.6m wide x 5.71m to the ridge) to form part of a new agricultural freerange
chicken egg enterprise on an existing agricultural unit of some 60 acres
(24ha). 9.5ha of this land is currently grassland and the remainder is coppice
woodland. The building would be located within an open area of land immediately
adjacent to the woodland and at the top of a grassland slope forming part of a valley.
Much of the grassland would be used as paddocks for the chickens. This element of
the proposal does not form part of this planning application as such an agricultural
use does not require planning permission. The proposed building would be of a size
that would exceed permitted development limits for agricultural buildings, hence the
need for planning permission. 12,000 chickens would be accommodated within the
building which would have low level openings (pop holes) within the south flank
elevation to allow the chickens to wonder into the open air paddocks.
Two 5.84m high silos would be positioned at the eastern end of the proposed poultry
building. These would be used for storing the chicken feed. A turning and loading
area is also indicated as being within the vicinity of the silos.
A temporary mobile home is proposed to be sited 48m to the east of the proposed
poultry building within an area enclosed by mature trees. The mobile home would
provide three bedrooms, kitchen, lounge/dining area and a bathroom. It would have
a pitched artificial tile roof. The period for the siting of the mobile home has not been
specified in the applicant’s submission. However, the normal period for this type of
development is 3 years in accordance with PPS7 Sustainable Development in Rural
Areas.
The vehicular access to the site would be widened by 1.5 metres. This would be
achieved by removing part of a hedge and a mature oak tree. The hedge to the
south of the access would also be lowered to 1m in height. A gate would be sited
15m from the back edge of the carriageway to allow vehicles, including HGVs, to pull
off of the highway.
The applicant has submitted a business plan which seeks to demonstrate that the
business would justify, at this stage, temporary residential accommodation for the
applicant and his fiancée. The financial projections provided in the business plan
show that the business would be commercially viable.
The business plan notes that manure would be removed from the building annually
and taken to local arable farms. Bulk feed will be delivered by lorry approximately
once a month directly to the feed silos. Eggs that have been graded and packed will
be held in the cold room within the poultry building until they are collected once a
week by Fridays, a well-established local packer/producer.
There are two existing buildings on the site at present, one of which is approximately
4m high and the other, 5.3m. These would be used as part of the free-range egg
enterprise for storage of machinery associated with general day to day activities.
Continued . . .
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