P-06-1232 Stop the proliferation of intensive poultry units (IPUs) by legislating and introduce a moratorium until this can be achieved, Correspondence – Powys County Council to Committee, 16.11.22

Dear Sir

Petition P-06-1232 Stop the proliferation of intensive poultry units (IPUs) by legislating and introduce a moratorium until this can be achieved

Thank you for your correspondence of the 25^th October 2022 regarding the above matter. 

I do hope that the answers provided below, in blue, meet the committee’s concerns:

• how you consider the cumulative impact of Intensive Poultry Units in the planning process

Planning applications are determined in line with prevailing legislation, regulations, policy, guidance and other material considerations. On the 12^th June 2018, Welsh Government’s Chief Planner wrote to all Local Planning Authorities in relation to intensive agricultural development including cumulative impacts:

Intensive poultry units: guidance for local planning authorities | GOV.WALES

Since its publication, the Authority has followed the advice provided when determining planning applications for intensive livestock units and statutory consultees such as Natural Resources Wales also take cumulative impact into account when responding to being consulted on planning applications. 

• for a response to the concern raised by the petitioner about lack of transparency when all information relating to application are not published; and,

The Council’s planning portal website is used to publish planning application documents and the consultation responses received from statutory consultees and is therefore considered transparent. Comments published by members of the public are no longer published on the planning portal for resource and data protection reasons, although redacted copies can be provided on request. This approach is similar to that taken by other Authorities across Wales.

• whether an environmental survey has been undertaken to understand the impacts of the concentration of IPU’s in Powys.

The Authority has collected data on planning permissions since the adoption of its Local Development Plan (LDP) in April 2018 and this will be used to inform the development of future planning policy as part of the Powys replacement LDP process which commenced in July. Earlier planning permission data is also available and can be retrieved as necessary. However, the Authority has not specifically commissioned or undertaken an environmental survey or research into such impacts. The Authority is aware of some research in relation to phosphates / phosphorous undertaken by the University of Lancaster for the river Wye:  Resilience Phosphorus UK – Re-focusing phosphorus use in the UK food system (lancs.ac.uk)

If I can be of any further assistance, please do let me know.

Yours faithfully

Cynghorydd Sir James Gibson-Watt

Arweinydd Gweithredol, Cyngor Sir Powys

County Councillor James Gibson-Watt

Executive Leader, Powys County Council

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