CONTROVERSIAL plans that would see a "chicken city" in a Worcestershire village have doubled in size pushing the number of birds on the site up to 160,000.

The broiler farm planned for Upton Snodsbury already has permission for two chicken units, each housing 40,000 chickens, on land north east of Froghall Bungalow, Naunton Road, allowed at appeal in January.

But now a new proposal, by applicant Edward Davies, would see this increase to four sheds, doubling the size of the production on the site to allow more than 1.1 million chickens passing through each year.

Now campaigners, who have been opposing the chicken farm since last year as part of the Wychavon Parishes Action Group, are encouraging people to submit their own objections before Friday, May 30.

David Wedge, who is part of the action group and lives only hundreds of meters from the site in Naunton Beauchamp, said: "My personal primary concern is based on material planning issues. This is a wholly inappropriate location for this particular operation. It will become what's known locally as chicken city.

"It's anything but agricultural, it's an industrial operation. It will have a detrimental impact on the landscape, biodiversity of the area, there will be pollution of noise, odour and light and a major highways traffic issue."

The group, which is formed from members of Upton Snodsbury, Cowsden, Naunton Beauchamp, North Piddle and Flyford Flavell, say they are not against development but want to preserve this beautiful part of the Worcestershire countryside.

Liz Holpin, secretary of the group, added: "We are appalled at the prospect of the noise, odour and traffic safety implications of this operation, which is totally unsuited to the agricultural environment that it is being forced upon. This is an industrial operation on a greenfield site.

"I would urge everyone to go online to our website to object, otherwise we will all be blighted by the smell of over 1.1 million chickens a year, the noise from HGV feed deliveries, heavy traffic from the manure removal and anti-social chicken catching every seven week cycle.

"Farmageddon has already struck the USA with industrial-scale farming that is destroying wildlife and habitat in the process, it is now threatening this stunning part of rural Worcestershire."

For more information on the campaign visit no-chicken-farm.org.