A TURKEY farm capable of handling 10,000 birds at a time has been given the go ahead, despite fears of an ‘unbearable smell’ damaging an award-winning catering business.

Forest planners approved permission for the Batt family to diversy into turkey breeding at Chessgrove Farm in Longhope, beside Harts Barn Craft Centre and tearoom, which also hosts a cookery school.

Centre owner Matt Stead, who employs 15 people, said the scheme would put his business ‘in jeopardy’, while Longhope Parish Council warned of the ‘smell’ affecting outdoor diners.

Planners were told that the Batt family have farmed at Chessgrove for two generations, and needed to diversify because there was too little income from fattening up to 500 cattle and 5,000 store lambs per year.

The family said it wanted to develop a turkey farm after conducting a feasibility study to determine the viability and suitability of the farm for the proposed use.

But Mr Stead said: “We run an award-winning cookery school on our site and along with the tea rooms, this is an important part of the local community.

“These businesses, and the rest of the Harts Barn site will be put in jeopardy because of the development.”

Fellow neighbour Chris Duffy of Harts Barn Farm said: “At present my home is already continually affected by the smell of manure from Chessgrove Farm and currently it’s impossible to sit outside and enjoy the garden.

“The additional ar- oma from an industrial poultry farm would make the smell unbearable.”

Longhope Parish Council said there was already a smell of pig manure, and further smells from a turkey farm would only worsen the situation which already affected outdoor diners at Harts Barn.

However bed and breakfast owners, the Walkins family, said: “Chessgrove Farm is a family-run business and farmers have to diversify to survive.”

Nick Townsend, a former village resident, added: “The Batt family have been farming at Chessgrove for two generations and are excellent farmers, always considering the welfare and care of their animals.

“The two turkey houses will be built to the latest designs and will be 500 yards from the nearest houses and half-a-mile from Harts Barn, the local inn and the main village of Longhope.

“It will have controlled air conditioning and filtration systems.”

Planners approved the scheme for two agricultural buildings for turkey rearing, but said no more than 10,000 turkeys could be on the site at any time, and limited the number of flocks to three per year.