Co Armagh: Free-range poultry shed for 20,000 egg-laying hens at consultation stage
A planning application for the erection of a free-range poultry shed, to accommodate 20,000 egg-laying hens on land approximately 100 metres north of 32 Bloom Hill Road, Kilmore, is currently at the consultation stage.
The planning application was lodged by Henry Marshall Brown Architectural Partnership, Cookstown, on behalf of Joel and Vanessa Kane, Salters Grange Manor, Armagh, on June 8.
The plans also include two feed bins, a storage shed, a NAP-compliant (Nutrient Action Programme) slurry wash tank and all associated site works.
The following statutory bodies will be consulted as part of the Planning process: DAERA Armagh; NIE Craigavon; DfI Roads Craigavon Office; DfI Rivers; NI Water Strategic Applications; Shared Environmental Services; NI Environment Agency; and the ABC Environmental Health department.
If approved, the poultry shed will occupy a surface of 2,254m2.
In a Supporting Statement, the agent said the proposed operation would not adversely impact local residents: “The construction of this poultry shed represents a major economic investment for the applicant which is essential for the long-term survival of the existing holding.
“An intensive agriculture development of this nature will support the farm income and ensure its long-term survival.
“This poultry shed is of typical design for farming of this type. They are commonplace in the countryside, and given their presence and length of use, could be described as vernacular buildings.
“As rural livestock buildings they are entirely appropriate in terms of scale and location in the rural setting. It is clear that the prominent features in the landscape are the mature natural boundaries.
“The form that this proposed shed takes ensures it will integrate into the landscape and not become the prominent feature. Any hedgerow which has to be removed to accommodate site access will be replaced with compensatory planting.
“The Air Quality Impact Assessment submitted with the application concludes there will be no impact on the amenity of residential dwellings from the proposal. The poultry shed has been located at adequate distances from neighbouring properties to ensure this.
“There are no suitable existing buildings on the applicant’s landholding – the applicant is unable to utilise existing agricultural buildings to house free-range hens, because no general-purpose agricultural shed or livestock shed would be built to the specifications insisted upon for efficient, climate-controlled and cost-effective poultry production.”
François Vincent, Local Democracy Reporter