A PARISH council is holding an extraordinary meeting tonight (Wednesday, October 17) in a row over the expansion of a giant turkey farm.

Last year, one of the UK’s biggest poultry producers – Hays of Ross-on-Wye – failed in its planning bid to open a 15,000-bird Turkey farm at its Clearwell Farm site.

But having legally converted its four former egg production buildings into turkey rearing, it has now applied for retrospective permission for the expansion of its operation there, having already built another poultry building housing 4,470 turkeys.

The Forest Council granted delegated permission at a contentious meeting last week, but the matter is on hold while Natural England are consulted about the already high levels of ammonia nitrate output from the farm, which councillors heard could cause environmental damage.

Villagers say the business is trying to railroad planning permission through,.

And some residents, including Clearwell Caves owner Jonathan Wright, have raised concerns that a rise in lorry movements over the farm entrance cattle grid opposite his tourist attraction could cause the roof of an adjoining cavern to collapse.

A motion to defer a decision at last week’s planning committee meeting to assess ammonia nitrate emissions and any effect on the area’s historic woodland was lost by one vote.

Instead, delegated permission means that if Hays meet all the conditions, it will be passed.

Addressing the meeting, Newland Parish Council clerk Richard Creighton accused Hays of a “cavalier attitude” towards the community by failing to consult with it.

Now the parish council is set to discuss the delegated retrospective approval of the new poultry building, a poultry house control room, feed bins, a backup generator, a water tank and gas tanks, and the construction of a concrete apron and access road.

The Forest Council rejected a bid in 2016 to farm 350,000 broiler hens a year at the Rocks-based site.

More than 90 letters objecting to the turkey farm scheme were submitted last year, when delegated permission was originally given for the scheme, only for it to be withdrawn by the council.