‘Very Concerned’: Over 40 Locals Come Together to Oppose Intensive Chicken Farm in North Norfolk
More than 40 local residents came together at a public meeting on 12 July 2026 to oppose an application for six new intensive chicken sheds in Edgefield, North Norfolk. [1]
Attendees expressed their concerns about water pollution, impacts on chalk streams, animal welfare, and the visual impact of the proposed development at Shrubbs Farm.
In August 2025, North Norfolk District Council’s previous approval for the development was quashed over the council’s flawed assessment of the environmental impacts of the facility. [2]
Almost one year after a factory farm’s application in Edgefield was quashed, local residents again came together to oppose new plans for Shrubbs Farm that would confine hundreds of thousands more chickens in North Norfolk.
More than 40 local residents attended the public meeting at Corpusty and Saxthorpe Village Hall. Attendees raised concerns about water pollution, the impact on chalk streams, and animal welfare, among other planning considerations.
Gillian Scott-Bissett, 69, a retired engineer from Corpusty, who attended the meeting, said:
“If this proposal is given approval, it will put in jeopardy the health and happiness of hundreds whilst giving wealth to just a few.”
Sam Cluley, 28, an engineer from Corpusty, who attended the meeting, said:
"One of my concerns is the air pollution it will generate for people with breathing problems. One of the reasons we live in the country is for the clean air."
Rosemary Claridge, 79, a resident of Edgefield, said:
“I am alarmed and very concerned about the welfare of factory farmed chickens. It is grossly inhumane, as well as being a primary global accelerator for the mutation and rapid spread of highly pathogenic bird flu. The proposed development also runs the risk of odours, flies, noise, dust and ammonia pollution, contaminating rivers and generally impacting rural views, together with an increase in traffic noise and vehicles.”
In June 2025, North Norfolk District Council approved the factory farm despite flaws in its environmental assessment, a lack of regard for animal welfare and a lack of public consultation.
After a legal challenge was submitted by Communities Against Factory Farm (CAFF), the Council conceded and the High Court quashed the approval, overturning the decision.
Now, the farm is seeking to expand again, and local residents are once more coming together to oppose it.
Jo Lazarus, Campaign Coordinator at Communities Against Factory Farm (CAFF), said:
“When Shrubbs Farm tried to expand before, there was a huge public outcry. This meeting shows that, a year later, that strength of feeling remains. Communities are against factory farming because they are worried about its harms on rivers, on air quality and on the animals who will suffer horribly as their bodies grow unnaturally fast.”
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About CAFF
Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF) works closely with residents across the UK to review planning applications for intensive farms and submit strong, evidence‑based planning objections. The organisation has helped communities block and overturn multiple intensive poultry unit applications when councils overlooked key environmental and animal‑welfare issues.
For more information or further comments, please contact:
Daniel (Press Back Office) press@caff.org.uk
Notes to Editors
[2] https://www.theplanner.co.uk/2025/08/19/giant-poultry-farm-consent-overturned-following-legal-threat