PLANS to house up to 16,000 free-range hens in a custom-built chicken shed on the outskirts of Gifford have been given the go-ahead – despite causing a stink with local residents.

On Tuesday, East Lothian Council’s planning committee approved the plan to build the shed near Howden Farm after hearing arguments from nearby neighbours concerned about the potential smell, noise and light pollution from the business.

The committee was told The Lakes Free Range Egg Company wanted to contract Howden Farm to produce eggs in East Lothian for them.

The firm, which has 50 farms in Northumbria, Cumbria and Scotland, said the housing for the hens would be 92.5 metres long, 16.5 metres wide and 5.34 metres high.

A spokesperson for the company told the committee it had never had a single complaint about noise, smell or light pollution from any of the other farms it had used to build its successful business over the years and was confident its odour management plan would deal with any potential problems.

However, nearby residents were unimpressed by the company’s promises and criticised the report from planning officials for getting the distance between the nearest house and the proposed shed wrong, quoting out-of-date British Standard levels for noise, and attributing recommendations to a person who did not exist.

They urged councillors to follow the Scottish Government guidance, which advises chicken shed developments are at least 400 metres away from the nearest housing and downwind of nearby properties.

David Peck, who lives at the property closest to the new shed, said while there was already a chicken shed on the land, the proposals would be two-and-a-half times the size of the present one.

He said: “My house is 280 metres away from this proposed shed. There was no attempt to engage the local community about these plans and we are told an environmental protection manager has been consulted when this post no longer exists and has not done so at East Lothian Council for some time.

“This report is a series of cut and paste method statements.”

Sheena Jamieson, from Bolton Community Association, said there was concern about the odour, dust and light pollution the facility would create.

She said: “There are 13 houses within 400 metres and 11 of them are downwind from the chicken shed.”

Planning chief Iain McFarlane told the committee the environmental project manager post’s title had been changed and acknowledged there were some errors in the report, which he corrected at the start of the discussion at Haddington Town House. But he insisted planning officials worked hard to ensure councillors had the best information before making a decision on an application.

Councillor John McMillan, ward councillor, told the committee he could not support the application, pointing to the high level of objections from nearby residents.

He said: “I think when 80 per cent of the residents complain, there are concerns. I think it is detrimental to the landscape, the character and the backdrop.”

Councillor David Berry also objected to the plan, saying it was too big, but he said the problem was the changing nature of East Lothian.

He said: “I do not have much patience for people who come to my surgery complaining about slurry spreading and the smell – do not live in the country, then.”

But ward councillors Tom Trotter and Provost Ludovic Broun-Lindsay said they would support the application and Councillor John McNeil said neighbouring residents would soon alert the council if the company failed to meet its promises. He told them: “You are the monitors and we know you will soon be rattling our doors if issues arise.”

The committee approved the application by 15 votes to two.