Great Moulton duck unit set for refusal

Plans for a duck rearing unit at Great Moulton have been recommended for refusal. Applicant Moulton Poultry Ltd is seeking consent to site the development at Broadgate Lodge Farm, in Broadgate Lane.

Plans for a duck rearing unit at Great Moulton have been recommended for refusal.

Applicant Moulton Poultry Ltd is seeking consent to site the development at Broadgate Lodge Farm, in Broadgate Lane. The proposal is for a building about 104m long, 23m wide and 9m in height, with associated feed bins to accommodate 13,000 ducks.

The unit is designed on sustainable principles of natural ventilation to reduce carbon emissions, and the manure produced will be used to replace artificially-made fertiliser in agricultural production. A10m wide copse will be planted to encourage a natural habitat for a wide range of insects and birds, which will also screen the development from residents along High Green.

Existing poultry houses are located to the west of the site and rear 22,000 ducks.

Great Moulton parish council opposes the scheme on the grounds of overdevelopment of the site, unacceptable traffic, and unsuitability of the road for lorries. There have also been five letters of objection from neighbouring residents, who are also concerned about potential increased traffic dangers, smell and noise, and claim the unit would be a “blot on the landscape”.

The scheme goes before South Norfolk Council's south-west area planning committee on Tuesday.

Planning officers say insufficient information has been received about on-site incineration of dead birds and management of odour and dust, and other related issues.

They also believe the scheme to be contrary to local plan to policy.