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Abattoir reopening and expansion plans backed

Trevor Bevins
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Google An industrial building in a rural setting. The large grey building is surrounded by dry grass and there is a road leading to it. Google
Councillors were told reopening the site near Bridport could create jobs in the area

Plans to reopen and expand an abattoir have been backed despite some residents' concerns over traffic and light and noise pollution.

The facility at Mangerton Lane in Bradpole, Dorset, had been shut for a year but has been acquired by Shropshire-based Pickstock Telford Ltd.

The former farm site was first converted to abattoir use in the early 1990s.

One local farmer told councillors the area needed the facility to be reopened and that its use would be better for animal welfare, avoiding having to transport them long distances.

Dorset Council's area planning committee voted almost unanimously in favour of the plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Simon Christopher backed the animal welfare argument, but welcomed the additional jobs that reopening and expanding the business would bring.

The committee heard the new operators would be increasing the size of buildings on the site, adding to security and making changes to the car park.

It would also install a 3m (9.8ft) timber acoustic fence and add to the landscaping to the northern and eastern boundary, which would create a biodiversity net gain.

LDRS A woman in a red jumper and a purple beret is standing in a council chamber. The seats are burgundy and light wood. There are two men and a woman watching. LDRS
Local resident Elizabeth Harrop told the council people were concerned about the size of vehicles accessing the site

Objector Elizabeth Harrop said she accepted that there will be an abattoir on the site but wanted a smaller multi-species facility.

She said residents nearby would suffer extra noise, light and pollution – and would have to put up with what she described as "juggernauts" every few minutes in peak hours.

Objector Christine Le Lievre described the proposal as: "Replacing the corner shop with a hyper-market and all the nightmare logistics that entails."

LDRS A man with short dark hair wearing a shirt and burgundy sweater sits in a council chamber. He is speaking into a microphone. There are two other men and a woman sitting on the wooden benches. LDRS
Robert Bowditch, a local farmer, said the facility would mean animals would not have to be transported as far

Farmer Robert Bowditch, from Beaminster, backed the plans.

He told councillors that local farmers had missed having a local slaughterhouse and "we are currently sending cows a long way which we don't like" adding that it was "important to provide jobs here for people who are born here".

The meeting heard that there had been 95 objections to the proposal and two in support.

Officer told the meeting that lorry size would be limited to the current HGV national standard which had not been objected to by highway officers.

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