Arley abattoir expansion opposed by hundreds of locals who say the site is ‘making their lives a misery’

Hundreds of locals have lodged their opposition to the expansion of the abattoir which they say is “making their lives a misery”. More than 300 people have written or signed petitions to North Warwickshire Borough Council against the abattoir at Glenside, off Ansley Lane, in Arley.

An agent, on behalf of T&S Abattoir Ltd, which runs the site, has submitted a retrospective planning application to the council seeking permission for extension work that has already taken place. But this, locals claim, has seen it go from a “small, family-run” abattoir run by the former owners to an “industrial-scale” abattoir.

Carolyn McKay, an Arley Parish Councillor, lives next to the site and told CoventryLive she has to have candles burning all day in her house because of the smell.

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“It’s destroying our lives,” she said. “The smells are absolutely horrible.

“It enters your house, you cannot escape it. I have to have candles burning all day.

“You can’t leave your laundry outside. You can’t enjoy your garden.”

She added: “We’ve even had people from Ansley complaining about the smell. But she said it’s not just the smell – it’s the scale of the operation.

She explained that there has been a slaughterhouse in the village for about 100 years. She said that it was originally run by a local family and dealt with animals from local farms, selling the products in the local shop.

The councilor claims to slaughter around 200 animals a week. The business was sold last year and she now claims 1,800 animals are slaughtered weekly, bringing more traffic to the small country lane.

She claims that the changes that have been made to the site are not only without planning permission, they are also not in line with the ‘Local Plan’ for the area and are now 10 meters from some houses. “It makes our lives a mess,” she said.

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Severn Trent took action at the site following concerns about “discharges” from the site causing a potential risk to local waterways and say the issues have been resolved. “Waste is really the tip of the iceberg,” she argued.

The site runs on a license from the Food Standards Agency (FSA). She claimed the FSA was now investigating.

CoventryLive contacted the FSA and a spokesperson said: “The FSA works closely with local authority colleagues to investigate complaints.

“The FSA is responsible for approving abattoirs and ensuring they comply with food hygiene and animal welfare regulations for which the FSA has policy responsibility.

“An Official Veterinarian (OV) is on site during the slaughter process and his role is to check compliance with hygiene and food welfare requirements. undertaken.”

Application details

The application seeks retroactive permission for extension work that has already been carried out on the site. These are for the installation of shutters and skylights for a two-storey building, the construction of a ramp to the delivery area, new doors and roofing for existing animal pens, and the provision of new animal pens and litter storage. and hay/straw, new site office and external alterations.

The design and access statement explains: “T&S Abattoir Ltd., the current owner, specializes in the processing of British lamb. Their operations involve sourcing British lamb locally, slaughtering, dressing and selling the finished product through on-site butchers. stores and wholesale channels in the Midlands.

“In addition, they provide local farmers with services for slaughtering and dressing their lambs. While the nature of the business remains similar to CH Rowley Ltd., T&S Abattoir focuses exclusively on British lamb, moving from the previous 3-species set-up.

“The proposal involves changes to both the site and its associated buildings.”

It adds: “This upgrade aims to increase durability and simplify maintenance throughout the building, including additional parking on site. In terms of throughput, the current owners anticipate a similar volume of finished product compared to the site’s previous owners, with the key difference being focus. on lamb processing instead of a three-species approach.

“Since acquisition, the abattoir building has undergone internal renovations to meet the strict hygiene standards set by the FSA while improving operational efficiency. Externally, the site will undergo significant changes, including replacing the existing grass, shrubbery and hardcore surfaces with a durable concrete surface. This update aims to increase durability and simplify maintenance in spaces, including additional site parking. focus on processing lamb instead of a three-species approach.”

After having a consultation period, North Warwickshire Borough Council will now decide whether the expanded operation can go ahead. It may be heard at a planning applications meeting.

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