RESIDENTS living close to the site of a controversial pig farm have urged the Secretary of State to intervene in their bid to establish an inquiry.
Construction on the huge farm at Newtownabbey began in January after an initial application to house 30,000 pigs at Rea Hill Road was reduced to 15,000, following pressure from opponents including more than 2,000 letters of objection and a 184,000-strong online petition.
However, locals opposed to the revised plan by farmer Derek Hall claim the project is still unsuitable for the location, citing potential problems such as noise, smell and traffic.
The campaign against the farm - which Mr Hall has said could be complete by September - has received support from Queen guitarist and animal rights activist Brian May, who described the initial proposal as “horrific”.
With work underway following the granting of planning permission late last year by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, opponents have now urged Secretary of State James Brokenshire to intervene.
In an open letter to Mr Brokenshire that was delivered this week, residents raised questions about the granting of planning permission.
They also queried why the council’s planning committee has rejected smaller projects, including a solar farm, on the grounds that they would have a detrimental impact on the environment, when the pig farm will sprawl over a large area.
“We believe that passing this application has established a UK planning precedent,” the letter states.
“We feel there is no support for local people in trying to deal with the aftermath of this planning decision. The system appears to be unsympathetic towards local objectors who have no right of appeal… this is both undemocratic and immoral.”
The letter adds: “Local residents ask that a judge-led inquiry is established to provide answers to the very significant issues raised by this planning decision.”
The Northern Ireland Office declined to comment when contacted by The Irish News, while a spokeswoman for the council said the process of considering the application had been “open and transparent”.
She added: “Both prior to and since the decision on this application was taken, a series of questions have been raised by objectors and have been processed through the council’s Freedom of Information procedure and/or the complaints procedure as appropriate.
“Many of the planning matters raised in this open letter to the Secretary of State have already been previously addressed through those processes.”
