Campaigners against a chicken farm on the outskirts of Highbridge say a proposed development of hundreds of new homes could be with plagued with “unacceptable odours”.
Barratt Homes is preparing a planning application for a huge new housing development at the ‘Brue Farm site’ adjacent to Huntspill Road in Highbridge.
The housing proposals, which go on show this week for the first time, include 162 new 2, 3 and 4 bed family homes, a new primary school, a new roundabout on Huntspill Road, and public open space with a play area.
A public exhibition will be held on Tuesday 25th September at Highbridge Community Hall in Market Street between 2pm and 7pm.
But, as reported here, residents living near Newbridge Farm in New Road, East Huntspill, say the ‘pungent’ smells coming from the farm have worsened over the past year and they point out that part of the Brue Farm development site is just 845m away from the controversial chicken farm.
Local resident Ian Stanbury, pictured with his wife Julia, who live near the chicken farm, told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week: “The Sedgemoor Local Plan proposes a large residential development of 960 houses, plus a school, on the ‘Brue Farm’ site to the south of Highbridge. This site, which is to the east of Newbridge Farm and within 800m of the farm at its closest point, could bring hundreds of homes and yet another primary school within reach of the odour from the poultry units.”
“I know that the odour from Newbridge Farm has previously reached Highbridge and Burnham so there is the potential for many hundreds of people to be affected in the future. I also know that properties well over 800m from Newbridge Farm are currently affected by unacceptable levels of odour, as reported to the Environment Agency.”
He added: “Unless the Council acts now, the Newbridge Farm poultry units will be situated in an even more inappropriate area than they are now, and the Council will have failed to prevent odour nuisance and exposure to the potential health risks of bio-aerosols to thousands of its council-tax paying citizens and their children.”
A Barratt Homes spokesperson said it is seeking to consult upon a smaller area of the site shown on the above map.
“The red outline on the map on the online coverage shows the wider Brue Farm allocation site, which Barratt Homes is not associated with,” said a spokesman.
“The site promoted by Barratt Homes is only that situated adjacent to Huntspill Road on a portion of the wider allocated site – the site indicated is not the same site and is therefore not being consulted upon by Barratt Homes. The site you have indicated is being promoted by another developer.
Further information about the proposals, and contact details, is here.
