Thank you all for your support! You will already know this if you submitted an objection to Leicestershire County Council. But here is an update for all those who supported the campaign:

After the decision to approve the Manor Farm broiler units and anaerobic digester was quashed by the High Court, we expected the application to return to the Council for re-decision. However, we have now been informed by the Council that the application has been formally withdrawn. Subsequently, we have learned that the farm has been sold to a local farmer who intends to farm it traditionally. This brilliant outcome would not have been possible without your generosity, enabling the challenge to the original decision.

Leicestershire County Council has agreed that granting planning permission for a Chicken Unit and Anaerobic Digestor at Manor Farm was unlawful for the reasons set out in our pre-action letter!

Accordingly, Leicestershire County Council has agreed that the planning permission should be "quashed"! Last Friday we filed a judicial review claim to do this in the High Court, the quashing process will be complete once the consent order is sealed by the court.

The County Council has written to our lawyers:

“The County Council is prepared to accept that the environmental impact assessment accompanying the planning application for the above planning permission should have assessed the potential for significant environmental effects from manure spreading on the applicant’s wider farmholding and equally that that issue should have been addressed in the conditions”.

It may take about three months for the courts to issue a quashing order. Once this is done, the application may be revived and legal errors rectified. A new Environmental Statement, including the impacts of spreading chicken manure, will have to be prepared and Leicestershire County Council will again undertake statutory consultations. The application will then be considered again by the Development Control and Regulatory Board.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the Manor Farm Action Group, may we take this opportunity of thanking you all for your generosity and the incredible support we have received. It is so satisfying to be a part of the community spirit that remains among us. You made it possible.

You may have already seen that the County Council has published its decision on Manor Farm this week.

Nevertheless we are pleased to report on the progress made so far in our efforts to block the proposed development.  

Counsel has identified some arguable grounds of challenge and the Manor Farm Action Group has received a response from our solicitors to the list of questions we raised. 

Following on from this advice we will be able to have a full legal conference – now that a vital document has finally released by Leicestershire County Council. This will ensure that we have a complete legal opinion and have discussed every option open to us before proceeding to the next stage. 

Once this exercise is complete, we will instruct counsel to draft a “Letter Before Action”, which is a required pre-action protocol for a Judicial Review. The letter would set out our legal basis for a challenge and provide LCC with an opportunity to respond. Our solicitors have also pointed out that it is not uncommon for cases to be satisfactorily settled at this pre-action stage thereby eliminating the need for further legal proceedings.

What happens next?

Should LCC decide to challenge the “Letter Before Action” and, acting upon the advice of our solicitors, we decide on further legal action, we would then apply to a judge for leave to initiate a Judicial Review. 

Our strong belief is that we must proceed to the next step of issuing a “Letter Before Action”, especially as counsel has already identified arguable grounds and more may be added following our conference call. 

Since our budget to take us to the present stage, so generously pledged by you, has been exhausted and the estimated costs associated with taking the next step will be £5,480, we are asking for your further support.

You can support our work here