Braintree poultry farm will face High Court battle

The judicial review concerns Braintree Council's decision to grant planning permission for a replacement intensive poultry building and surface water attenuation basin at Hubbards Farm, Shalford.

Campaign group Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF) is challenging the decision, arguing the council failed to properly assess the scale and environmental impact of the proposal before approving it in June.

The plans were approved by councillors despite strong objections from residents and environmental campaigners.

At the time, supporters of the application argued the development would replace an ageing poultry shed with a more modern facility.

However, campaigners have long maintained that key questions remained unanswered over the number and type of birds that could ultimately be housed on the site – with subsequent documents referencing capacity for more than 100,000 broiler chickens.

Protest - Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF) protesting outside Braintree District Council at Causeway House earlier this year (Image: Communities Against Factory Farming)

Maya Pardo, director of CAFF, welcomed the decision and said: "This case is hugely important for stopping the spread of factory farming, which is so harmful to animals and the environment.

"The ammonia and particulate matter released by factory farms has been linked to asthma, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and dementia, so it is extraordinarily reckless for the council to approve this expansion without understanding the expected impacts for the local community."

According to legal papers, the group argue the council assessed the scheme as a replacement building that would not increase bird numbers or intensify the existing operation.

But CAFF says an ammonia assessment submitted as part of the application described replacing a barn housing 5,000 turkeys with a controlled-environment building capable of housing 26,219 broiler chickens.

The group argues the council relied on assurances from the applicant's agent that the description was an error, despite not receiving an amended assessment before granting permission.

Farm - Broiler chickens are bred specifically for meet production, grow very quickly and reach slaughter weight in around five to seven weeks (image used for illustrative purposes) (Image: Canva)

CAFF also points to an Environment Agency permit issued shortly before the planning committee meeting which authorised a two-house installation with a capacity of 109,628 broiler chickens.

The organisation claims the council failed to resolve those conflicting descriptions and did not secure a planning condition limiting either bird numbers or species.

A key issue in the case is whether an Environmental Impact Assessment should have been carried out, or whether the council should have undertaken a formal screening exercise to determine if one was required.

Campaigners also argue that climate impacts, carbon emissions, waste management, odour, dust and animal welfare concerns were not properly considered before the decision was made.

A Braintree District Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of the claim for judicial review regarding the planning permission granted for a replacement poultry building and a new surface water attenuation basin at Hubbards Farm, Shalford which received approval from the Planning Committee on 2 June 2026.

"The council intends to defend the decision taken by the committee.

"As legal proceedings are now active, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."

A full hearing is expected to take place in early 2027.