MORE than 150 people have objected to plans that could see a large egg production unit housing thousands of chickens near Winchester.

The proposals, on Vale Farm in Sarum Road have proved to be highly controversial with residents, who have now formed an action group in a bid to stop the scheme.

However, the applicant says he has answered their questions and is urging them to stick to the facts when it comes to objecting.

Submitted by Sam Burge, who runs the farm that has been in his family for three generations, the unit would be 140-metres long – more than 4/5 the length of Winchester Cathedral – and would house 32,000 free-range hens.

The plans come around 12 months after the farm’s six-year pig rearing operation ceased, and it is hoped the egg production business would replace that lost income, according to the proposals.

If approved, work would be carried out at the site on a daily basis, with plans in place to stop smells and noise affecting residents.

Mr Burge also said that site would be largely self-sufficient, with power being generated by solar panels and chicken feed grown on the farm.

However, furious residents have banded together to stop the development, forming the Crabwood Action Group (CAG) which is urging others to object to the scheme.

Objections registered so far include fears over what the impact will be on the nearby Crab Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); the scale of the plans; the impact of lorry movements on nearby roads; and animal welfare concerns.

As well as residents, concerns have been raised by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIOWWT), the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and Natural England.

A CPRE spokesman wrote to planners: “We support the well-being of the rural economy, and especially farming on which in large part we rely for the maintenance of our fine landscapes.

“However, new agricultural buildings have clear potential to cause serious harm to the landscape, and so very careful scrutiny of their landscape impact.

“We consider the proposed building will not protect and enhance the natural beauty of the local landscape, or the cultural asset which is the Clarendon Way.”

Lynne Gibson, of CAG, added: “To our mind this is not merely a diversification of farming to replace lost income from pig farming, but a hugely and solely commercial enterprise on a totally different scale, with little real thought or heed given to the impact on the landscape and residential or public amenity within the local community.”

In response Mr Burge said that he had met with campaigners on numerous occasions, answering their questions and inviting them on site visits.

He also stressed that the new facility would not be a “chicken factory”, and that high welfare standards would be maintained – part of the reason why the site was chosen.

Mr Burge added that concerns over smell and noise had been answered by the “facts” in the planning application, saying that residents would not be affected, and that the egg production facility would result in around half of the lorry movements seen when the pig rearing business was ongoing.

Issues over the visual impact were addressed, with Mr Burge saying 1,200 trees will be planted to screen the building and that views from the Clarendon Way “would be minimal”.

It is thought that the plans will go before a committee of Winchester city councillors later this year.