February 9, 2025
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Abattoir’s expansion plans on the outskirts of Bradpole meet with protest

Abattoir entrance

Plans to double the operating hours and staff to process meat, potentially for McDonald’s and Burger King, on the outskirts of Bradpole have been met with a welter of complaints.
The abattoir in Mangerton Lane, formerly owned by Norman & Sons, closed over a year ago after more than 30 years in operation. The abattoir is on the single-track Mangerton Lane, just beyond a large housing estate and used to have 20 staff. The abattoir was operating 13-hour shifts each day.
But new owners Pickstock Telford Ltd want to extend and reopen the plant for 23 hours a day operation, with 40 workers.
Nearby residents say the lane is too narrow to accommodate lorry-loads of cows arriving every day from all over the west country. Pickstock is owned by an American firm which supplies the two biggest burger chains, they say, which won’t benefit the local economy. They fear round-the-clock noise and smell.
However Pickstock says its proposals will cut the noise, smell and light pollution that would be caused by it operating the site as is – and it will operate the abattoir using its current planning permission if their plans are refused.
One resident, who can see the abattoir from her home, said: “At the moment more than 300 cars and trucks use the lane between 7.30am and 9am each day. There are two schools nearby, with buses going to and fro.
“Often, removal lorries can’t get down the lane so they have to send smaller vans down.
“Pickstock is proposing to have seven juggernauts visiting every day. This won’t benefit this area – Pickstock themselves say only 5% of the cattle will be from Dorset.
“We all found out about this quite late – nobody knew about it – but we quickly set up the Mangerton Lane Abattoir Action Group, put together flyers, printed them at home and did the leg work posting them through doors of the surrounding areas with we know will be affected by the plans. In the process we spoke to many residents, none of whom knew anything about it and all were appalled.
“Our local campaign resulted in 95 individual objections and five organisations, two in support. This would cause a lot of problems with traffic, yet Bridport Town Council voted in favour of it 7-1 and it is now going to Dorset Council, whose officers also seem to think it’s fine.
“I feel like we’re being bullied – it’s very unfair.”
In 1994, when considering the abattoir being sited on
Mangerton Lane, planners said: “’The planning authority is of the opinion that further extension on this site because of restrictions on available space for parking and
increased possibilities of noise nuisance to neighbour’s properties, would not be appropriate.”
Since then, many more homes have been built near the site.
One objector on Dorset Council’s planning portal, Elizabeth Harrop, wrote: “The existing abattoir is poorly located due to it being so close to a residential area with only residential roads and a singletrack country lane to serve it.
“The vastly increased industrial-sized planned abattoir will negatively affect the community and local businesses in multiple and ongoing ways. Our residential
streets and country lane will become a single-carriageway M5; with no hard shoulder, and our homes invaded (as has happened before) by noise, stench, and impeded access.
“A large-scale abattoir of this nature should only be accessed off a main road and much further away from housing – as should have been the case for the existing abattoir.”
Pickstock want to extend the site by 1,400sqm and convert a home to offices. It also wants to create a large car park.
Pickstock says it needs an abattoir in this area to help cut down the time cows spend being transported for slaughter.
The application says: “The proposed extensions and alterations will provide additional facilities at the abattoir to support both staff and animal welfare.”
Whatever councillors decide, the abattoir will reopen.
The firm wrote: “Pickstock owns and is committed to operating at Mangerton Lane as soon as possible. The abattoir is not new. The proposed improvements
would thoroughly modernise a facility constructed in the early 1990s, providing a new lairage, reorganised processing spaces inside the plant and improved staff welfare facilities.
“Dorset Council’s options are therefore: (i) AcceptPickstock’s plans to invest in improvement of the site; or (ii) Deny planning permission, leaving Pickstock to operate the unimproved abattoir.”
They added: “Objectors have failed to understand or acknowledge the status of the existing abattoir. Refusal of planning permission will not bring an end to the use of the facility, but an improved plant would be better in every way, enabling Pickstock to optimise installations for the control of noise, odour, drainage and lighting, in addition to the new lairage and staff facilities for improved animal and staff welfare.”
The plans have not yet been scheduled go to committee, but could be heard be held on
January 23 or February 27.
n View (P/FUL/2024/04044) at planning.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

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