PLANS for a large-scale chicken farm near Talybont - refused by planners last year over a lack of information - have been resubmitted despite receiving more than 450 objections the first time around.

An application to build the intensive poultry farming unit at Ty Nant Farm was turned down by Ceredigion council at the end of February last year, who said there was “not enough information” on the impact of the development.

The scheme which would see infrastructure built to house 110,000 chickens, has now been resubmitted to Ceredigion council in the hopes of pushing it throughs, despite the plans causing “great concern” among residents, with 455 objections lodged to the planning department, and thousands signing a petition against the scheme last year.

In an environmental statement, produced for the proposal, the owners of Ty Nant commented on the proposed development’s capacity to help meet the “rising demand for poultry meat in the UK and becoming self-sufficient in poultry meat”, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions by not having to import the meat.

But hundreds of objections were registered saying the plans would “reduce landscape value”, “significantly increase traffic”, cause “pollution by chicken manure”, “air pollution” and concerns over animal welfare.

A petition against the plans, started by Jessica Ketteringham, was signed by more than 4,000 people.

She said that the scheme would be a “terrible development in many ways.”

“There is a huge demand for cheap chicken from our urban population, but there are good, affordable and healthy, alternatives,” she said.

“For chicken and eggs, we need to think smaller and outdoor in Wales.”

Peter Foulkes, the chair of the Cambrian Mountains Society, said the group objected to the plans.

“Since its inception in 2005 the Cambrian Mountains Society has been supportive of the farming community in the Cambrian Mountains, and believe that diversification has an important role to play in bolstering farm economies,” he said.

Council planners found last year that “despite the application being under consideration since November 2019 the council have been unable to be in a position to make an informed decision on the proposal due to the lack of information submitted and assessed by the relevant consultees.”

“This includes details relating to environmental and ecological issues and impact on protected sites, environmental protection issues, and potential impact on listed building.”

The new application has attempted to address the issues raised the first time round with farm owners submitting several reports to planners on noise, odour, pollution and sewage management.

In the first six days of the new planning submission, 30 objections had already been lodged against the new scheme.

Ceredigion Green Party said the applicants “haven’t understood the strength of feeling of objectors last time they tried.”