River Action board member Alison Caffyn has been granted permission by the High Court to challenge Shropshire Council’s approval of a large-scale poultry production unit in the River Severn catchment.

The judicial review aims to halt the further spread of industrial scale intensive poultry production both in the county and the wider catchment of the River Severn.

The legal action is part of a wider campaign by River Action to use the law to prevent river pollution by intensive agricultural practices across the country.

River Action says the Wye catchment area has been devastated by the failure to enforce anti-pollution regulations and it is determined to help prevent similar ecological damage to the neighbouring catchment of the River Severn.

The action is being taken by Dr Alison Caffyn, who lives in Shropshire and is a member of River Action’s advisory board. Dr Caffyn is represented by the environment team at law firm Leigh Day.

In May, Shropshire Council approved an application by LJ Cooke & Son for a poultry production unit at Felton Butler, north-west of Shrewsbury. The unit would house 230,000 birds.

An application was made for a judicial review into the council's decision, arguing the council failed to take a number of issues into account, including the effects of spreading manure and the emissions from burning biomass.

The High Court has now granted permission on the following grounds:

• A failure to assess the effects of spreading manure and the emissions from burning biomass, which as indirect effects of the development, needed to be assessed

• A failure to impose a lawful planning condition on manure processing that would mean that the development would not cause groundwater pollution

Charles Watson, Chairman and Founder of River Action said: “Like an appalling car crash in slow motion, exactly the same set of tragic events is now unfolding in catchment of the River Severn as has happened recently in the neighbouring catchment of the River Wye.”

Dr Alison Caffyn said: “Shropshire Council has continued to grant planning permission for intensive poultry units across the county, despite increasing concern about the impacts on the Shropshire countryside and communities. The chicken population has grown so much that there are now nearly 65 chickens for every person in Shropshire.”