THE owners of a controversial chicken shed, which was given planning approval despite objections from residents, have applied to double its size.

The shed at Howden Farm, near Gifford, was given the green light by East Lothian Council last year, allowing the farm to house 16,000 free range hens on the site.

The owners have now applied for planning permission to extend the shed, allowing it to hold 32,000 hens.

The plans, which are under consideration by council planners, also include an extensive tree planting programme to ensure surrounding woodlands are maintained.

Proposals for the first chicken shed were approved last year, after the council’s planning 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 the north of England and Scotland, said the hens’ housing would be 92.5 metres long, 16.5m wide and 5.34m high.

A spokesperson for the company had told the committee that 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report from planning officials for getting the distance between the nearest house and the proposed shed wrong, quoting out-of-date British Standard levels for noise, and attributing recommendations to a person who did not exist.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.

Sheena Jamieson, from Bolton Community Association, said at the time 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.”