PLANS to create a home for 900 pigs and turkeys in a village near Broadway will create conditions like ‘The Somme’, according to neighbours.

The application, submitted by William Hance at Liberty Farm, Stanway, has attracted much opposition from residents.

About 50 people attended a public meeting to air their concerns about the proposals.

Michael MacCarthy, of Stanway Road, keeps horses just metres from the planned development.

He said: “For me pigs and horses don’t mix very well and the noise the turkeys would make; it’s noise pollution.

“There would also be the smell. Our garden and the surrounding area are lower and at the moment we get the surface run off from Liberty Farm. It would be like The Somme.”

The application seeks to convert an existing building into an agricultural dwelling for an initial period of three years before a permanent dwelling is considered and put in a polytunnel.

The plans include a pig and free range turkey production unit. The turkeys would be reared for the Christmas market and piglets sold as pork, according to details listed in the planning application.

Marc Willis, managing director at Willis & Co (Town Planning) Ltd, the agent representing Mr Hance, said his client just wanted the chance to prove himself as a farmer and was happy to speak with neighbours.

“It has always been the intention of Mr Hance to set up a new farmstead. He has been frustrated and it took many years and an appeal to get permission for the existing buildings.

“He has a long connection in this area and he has farmed all his life. All he is asking for is the chance to prove himself as a real farmer.”