Notice

Sutton Veny poultry farm, near Warminster, Wiltshire

Updated 3 June 2015

Background

Amber Real Estate Investment Ltd applied to the Environment Agency for an environmental permit for a proposed poultry unit at Deverill Road Trading Estate, Sutton Veny, near Warminster, Wiltshire in April 2014.

This application for a permit (PP3232EF/A001) was received by the Environment Agency on 10 April 2014 and was publicly consulted on from 15 May 2014 to 13 June 2014. The Environment Agency received a total of 9 representations from the public about this new application. The application relates to the use of 4 buildings, to directly replace the existing 4 buildings, to raise 179,120 birds.

An environmental permit allows the site to operate once it has been built. A new development needs to have both a permit and planning permission in place before it can be operated. Wiltshire Council is responsible for determining the planning permission application for this particular poultry farm.

The operator was asked to provide more details to address comments and concerns raised during this public consultation. The operator produced a range of new information in support of their permit application and proposed operations on site, including:

• a revised site drainage plan

• a revised site layout plan

• an odour management plan

• a noise management plan

The Environment Agency considered this revised information and consulted local residents again in February 2015 at the stage when it was ‘minded to issue’ the permit.

Update : May 2015

The Environment Agency has carefully considered all the comments and information provided at each stage of the consultation process. The concerns raised by local people have mainly been about odour, noise, bio-aerosol and dust arising from the site and how these affect humans and horses. Concerns have also been raised about disease control and noise from vehicle movements should the proposed poultry unit go ahead.

During this final phase of the consultation, the Environment Agency did not receive any new information that had not already been considered and addressed in the decision document. Therefore, it was decided to go ahead and issue the permit in late May 2015. At the same time, those people who had made representations were sent a letter to explain the decision making process.

The conditions set by the environmental permit address all the issues raised during the consultation and the permit will allow operations to be regulated on site. This includes conditions which address noise, odour and dust if the site starts operating as a poultry unit. Sites of this nature are regulated jointly by the Environment Agency, the local authority and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Amber Real Estate Investment Ltd still need to obtain planning permission from Wiltshire Council before the site can operate as a poultry unit. Issues such as vehicle movements at the site would be controlled via conditions on the planning permission. Issues such as avian flu and campylobacter are dealt with by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

How to find out more

The Environment Agency’s decision document shows how the concerns raised have been addressed and the permit document shows the conditions that will be put in place.

The final permit document is held on the Environment Agency public register, which can be viewed at:

Environment Agency
Rivers House
Sunrise Business Park
Higher Shaftesbury Road
Blandford Forum
Dorset
DT11 8ST

The public register can be accessed between 9.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. Please call 03708 506506 to arrange an appointment. You can get a copy of documents on the register, but there may be a charge to cover copying costs.

What happens next?

Environment Agency officers will carry out inspections to ensure that Amber Real Estate Investment Ltd comply with the conditions of their environmental permit. They have powers to request improvements and to take legal action if the permit is breached or if improvements are not made as requested. It is a condition of the permit that prior to stocking the site the company must provide the Environment Agency with a monitoring protocol for noise and odour and submit a monitoring assessment after 12 months of operating.

If the site obtains planning permission and starts operating as a poultry unit, should you suspect an environmental incident at the site you can report this via our 24 hour hotline on 0800 807060. For any further information email wessexenquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk