A BUSINESSMAN has won the first round of his plans to open an egg farm containing possibly up to 12,000 chickens. Last week Ivan Quince, who runs a monumental stonemasons in Potton Road, Biggleswade, won his planning appeal to put 4,000 hens and ancillary

A BUSINESSMAN has won the first round of his plans to open an egg farm containing possibly up to 12,000 chickens.

Last week Ivan Quince, who runs a monumental stonemasons in Potton Road, Biggleswade, won his planning appeal to put 4,000 hens and ancillary buildings on the proposed site in Station Road, Gamlingay.

Mr Quince owns 50 acres off Station Road and has been campaigning to open the free range egg farm there for the past six years.

This was the third time his current planning application for 4,000 chickens to be housed on the land had been heard by South Cambs District Council (SCDC).

It had even gone to the Government's Planning Inspectorate who said the development would not be likely to have a significant effect on the environment.

But Gamlingay Parish Council continued to oppose the plan saying road access to the proposed site was not suitable for heavy vehicles.

The parish council also feared that if there was an outbreak of bird flu Gamlingay would be at the centre of a three kilometre exclusion zone.

SCDC's planning committee finally gave the green light to the plan but with a number of conditions including a scheme for external lighting and landscaping, control of outside storage and the restriction of hours of delivery and collection vehicle.

After being given the approval for the first stage of his business plan, Mr Quince said: "This has been six years in coming. I am pleased to have got planning permission for this application but I have another two to be heard next month.

"My ultimate plan is to have 12,000 chickens on the land. This is not battery farming. These chickens will be free range and I want to provide the buildings where they can nest and lay their eggs and be safe at night.

"I want to start a business the public is crying out for by producing quality free range eggs.

"This has been a long time coming and now I am hoping both my other planning applications will be approved then I can set about the next task of organising the buildings and what we are going to do on the land.

"But planning regulations are sometimes farcical. I could have put 18,000 chickens on the fields without planning permission had I not wanted to put buildings up.