Residents of Thelnetham Outraged as Planning Application for Intensive Poultry Unit Approved
Image by Martin Pope: Protest held on Monday morning by locals during the site visit in Thelnetham
Residents of Thelnetham staged peaceful protests this week in response to a planning recommendation to approve an intensive poultry unit and are heavily disappointed with the result. The development, intended to supply controversial meat giant Cranswick’s industrial chicken operations, has attracted widespread opposition over its potential impacts on health, the environment, animal welfare and village life.
West Suffolk Council has just approved the planning application for an Intensive Poultry Unit on Cross Green Farm in Thelnetham, Suffolk. The plans are for 40,000 egg laying breeder broiler chickens across 4 sheds. [1]
Residents have been campaigning against the expansion of Cranswick’s supply chain into Thelnetham since August 2024, when plans for an intensive poultry unit of breeder chickens for Cranswick’s meat chicken supply chain were submitted.
Despite over 1000 objections submitted by members of the public, the planning officer’s report recommended approval. [2]
Peaceful protests by local residents were conducted during the site visit at 10am Monday 2nd February, and the planning meeting at 10am today, on Wednesday 4th February [3].
Residents have been supported by Communities Against Factory Farming, who also attended both protests this week [4].
West Suffolk Council reviewed the progress of the application during the meeting of the Development Control Committee today, on the 4th February 2026. The meeting started at 10:00am and was held in the Conference Chamber, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU [5]. This result comes as a shock for the local residents who have stood unified in opposition to this mass industrial planning application. The decision disregards hundreds of objections and months of community engagement, leaving many feeling that their voices and lived experience have been sidelined.
Residents were especially concerned about the impacts of increased lorries on road safety, noting that children, pedestrians, and cyclists already struggle to walk on the narrow roads.
Of particular note was that three councillors stated they were prepared to give weight to animal welfare. Animal welfare was confirmed as a material consideration in a case brought by Animal Equality in 2025 [6]. It was further used as a decision to refuse a puppy farm in East Lindsey in 2025 [7] [8]. A proposal for refusal of the application was put forward by Cllr Lora-Jane Miller-Jones on the grounds of highway safety and animal welfare, and six people voted in favour of refusal. Unfortunately for local residents, seven people voted to approve the application.
Darren Lewitt, 60, a retired Thelnetham resident said:
“We are deeply disappointed that the elected councillors, chosen to serve the people of Thelnetham, have not done so and have approved a development that brings no real benefit to the community. This decision ignores the serious concerns raised about quality of life, mental wellbeing, and the impact on our historic landscape and local wildlife, including recent beaver sightings in the fens.
Our village now faces nearly a year of disruption from demolition and construction vehicles, an issue barely discussed by the council, which seems more focused on post-planning traffic. Alarmingly, a recent application in Hopton was refused on serious safety grounds involving children on the same road, yet now a larger development with potentially greater risks is approved. The highways officer recommended this without even visiting the site, which could be seen as negligent. We are the guardians of this village, and in a few years we will all pass it on to a new generation. Thelnetham must remain a peaceful, farming community, not a place of industrial mass production. We will carefully consider our next move, including whether to pursue judicial review, to ensure Thelnetham’s future is protected.”
Sue Coe, Parish Chair and Thelnetham resident said:
“Despite more than 1000 objections over 16 months, it is profoundly disappointing that the concerns of Thelnetham residents have once again been dismissed in favour of faceless reports and corporations that bear no connection to our village or the consequences we will now face. This decision shows a worrying lack of principle or understanding of the risks to road safety, air quality and residents’ quality of life. We will not give up as our community deserves better than this.”
Maya Pardo, Communities Against Factory Farming spokesperson said:
“CAFF is deeply disappointed that councillors have approved the planning application for this harmful factory farm. This decision puts public health, local residents and the environment at risk. Animal welfare laws are unenforced. Fewer than 3% of intensive farms in the UK are inspected. We are glad to see debates about animal welfare impacts of factory farming happening in local councils– chickens on intensive units are subject to high mortality rates, overcrowding, and severe pain and suffering. Councils can and should consider animal welfare in planning decisions.
Intensive poultry units bring well‑documented threats, from bird flu and air pollution to antimicrobial resistance, yet the concerns of the Thelnetham community have been overlooked in favour of industrial meat production. Local councils should be backing sustainable farming, not enabling the expansion of Cranswick’s industrial empire.”
CAFF has previously helped overturn planning permission for intensive poultry units where councils failed to properly assess environmental and welfare impacts [9] [10] [11].
ENDS
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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.
Link to high res images here: https://show.pics.io/cross-green-farm (credit: Martin Pope)
All images and videos on our social media, and on our website can be used with credit to Communities Against Factory Farming under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of reporting.
For more information or further comments, please contact:
Emma (Press Back Office) +44 1225 29 6691
Notes to Editors
[1] Planning Application https://planning.westsuffolk.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=SIB6E3PDL9D00
[3] Suffolk News
[4] CAFF website:
https://www.caff.org.uk/cross-green
[5] Agenda https://democracy.westsuffolk.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=527&MId=5881&Ver=4
[6] R(Animal Equality UK) v North East Lincolnshire Borough Council [2025] EWHC 1331 (Admin)
https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2025/1331.html
[7] East Lindsey District Council rejected an application for a puppy farm on animal welfare grounds on Sept 4, 2025 - https://publicaccess.e-lindsey.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=ZZZO8TZZAX113.
[8] ELDC Application Ref: S/122/00592/24, see minute 25 of the Sept 4 ELDC planning committee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh80YV_l0WU&t=1848s
[9] Shropshire braces for “chicken megafarm” battle as residents and industry clash, Shropshire Live, 2025 https://www.shropshirelive.com/news/2025/06/15/shropshire-braces-for-chicken-megafarm-battle-as-residents-and-industry-clash/
[10] Planning permission for 310,000-chicken intensive poultry unit in Norfolk to be quashed, Landmark Chambers, 2025
[11] Reversal of Devon Intensive Dairy Farm Planning Permission Celebrated by Locals https://www.caff.org.uk/press/northcombe-overturned