Derbyshire abattoir expansion plans approved despite concerns

An abattoir in Derbyshire has had expansion plans approved despite concerns from residents.

At a South Derbyshire District Council meeting on Tuesday, plans to expand Pickstock Abattoir in Coal Lane, between Hartshorne and Ticknall, were approved by councillors.

A resident had claimed discoloured water was running into the surrounding field, “killing plants and trees”.

Meanwhile, the owners said their application had already been validated.

The meeting was told much of what had been applied for had already been built, with concerns from residents over other potentially unauthorised development, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The owners – the Pickstock family – said their application had been validated nearly three years ago, and that its applications for extensions were required by the Food Standards Agency to rectify issues and standards not kept up to code by previous management.

Ross Pickstock, who owns the business with his father and sister, said some buildings had been “mothballed”, and the Food Standards Agency found them to be no longer fit for purpose and should be demolished, with some parts of the site also found to be “free draining into the surrounding area” – also to be demolished and improved.

Steffan Saunders, the council’s head of planning, said the expansions were seen as “business critical” and were “proportional” for the site and to meet its “operational needs”.