Published: Tuesday, 30th June, 2009 2:23pm

Egg tycoon refuses to crack in plannning dispute

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MILIONAIRE businessman John Campbell has lodged an appeal to Scottish ministers regarding his controversial chicken farm in the Stobo Valley.

Local members of Tweeddale Area Committee sided with local residents and voted unanimously to reject the planning application last month.

Mr Campbell"s company Glenrath Farms" plans would see the erection of a 160-metre shed to house 25,000 birds at Easter Happrew within the Upper Tweeddale National Scenic Area.

Glenrath Farms is the largest producer of eggs in the UK, packing an astounding 1.3 million a day for supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda.

The application, which drew 483 letters of objection, won favour from statutory consultation bodies and also Scottish Borders Council"s own planning officials.

Environment watchdogs SEPA and Scottish Natural Heritage both lifted their objections following the publication of an impact study last October.

However, local councillor Catriona Bhatia raised a motion to refuse the plans at last month"s Area Committee meeting.

She said: 'This is a complex application in some ways but very simple in other ways.

'For me the most significant aspect is the landscape.

'Scottish Natural Heritage are just full of contradictions and it seems they are throwing the ball back into our court.

'This building would not contribute in any way to the National Scenic Area - I am confident to move that this should be refused.'

The development, it has been said by John Campbell, would create a further 100 jobs in the region but committee members weren"t won over.

Councillor Gavin Logan said: 'Jobs have to be a consideration but so does the long-term affect on tourism and the possible loss of jobs from that.'

Speaking of the decision John Campbell said: 'The company cannot understand why Scottish Borders councillors can turn away the opportunity to create jobs in the current economic climate.

'I do not understand the objection to the plans. We employ 200 people and we had hoped to go up to 300 with the expansion plans.'

Apart from the economic benefits Glenrath Farms" grounds for appeal centres on the fact the application was recommended for approval by planning officers with no objections from statutory consultees.

Also, a professional assessment demonstrated the building to have only a minimal visual impact.

The appeal will be considered by Scottish Ministers next month.