Residents and local societies have spoken out against the proposal for a broiler breeder farm at Deanery Farm just north of Bampton, which would include 36,000 hens and more roosters.

The planning application has been submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council with the consultation having officially ended last week although more objections have been made since then.

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Communities Against Factory Farming has raised objections including around air quality and ammonia, water supply and hydrology, waste management, and the risk of avian influenza.

Meanwhile Richard McBrien, chair of the Society for the Protection of Bampton listed 17 specific points of opposition.

Bampton village (Image: Perry Bishop)

He said: “In the absence of robust, site-specific evidence demonstrating that odour, air quality, and environmental impacts can be effectively controlled, and having regard to the proximity of sensitive receptors including residential properties and a primary school, the proposal gives rise to a clear and unacceptable risk of harm.”

A former judge, Christopher Compston, rejected the plan in a joint statement which included his wife.

He said this was “on the grounds of public health concerns and the fact that this is an industrial-scale development on the outskirts of an Oxfordshire village”.

Deanery Farm near Bampton (Image: Google Maps)

Meanwhile People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said more than 13,000 people had signed an application urging the district council to reject the proposal.

Deanery Farm was purchased by P D Hook Group, a leading UK poultry breeder and rearer, in 2023 with broiler breeder farms raising parent-stock chickens (hens and roosters) to produce fertile eggs, which are then sent to hatcheries to become broiler chickens (chickens bred for meat).

Patrick Hook, owner of the 75-year-old family-owned poultry farming business, said: “We have nearly 40 farms in the south and north of England with a strong positive reputation with local residents, retailers and the agricultural industry.”

Oxfordshire farmer Patrick Hook

He added it would be built to strict environmental standards, which means wastewater is captured in tanks, litter is taken from the farm and a natural fertiliser is used.

“The UK chicken market,” Mr Hook said, “is seeing strong demand for Red Tractor British Chicken”.

READ MORE: Farm with 36,000 chickens planned near Oxfordshire village

He continued: “If we fail to get planning to build more poultry farms, we are increasing the risk of sub-standard imports coming in from countries such as China, which is now the eighth largest importer of poultry meat into the UK.

“With increasing global volatility we must support growth in British agriculture to help the country’s food security.”

Officers from Oxfordshire County Council departments submitted statements on the plans with transport raising no objections and flooding saying it is “acceptable in principle”,

The archaeology officer said that more information is required and has asked for an archaeological field evaluation to be carried out by a professional organisation.

Furze Farm near Horton-cum-Studley has been listed for £1.95 million by Savills, with the agents highlighting its “very accessible location” between Oxford, Thame and Bicester.

Grace Gardiner of Savills rural agency team said: “Furze Farm is a great arable farm with plenty of opportunities to generate a diversified income.

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“The farmhouse sits at the centre within mature lawned gardens, beyond which there are various farm buildings, commercial storage units, commercial offices and a 48 kWh solar PV array with Feed-in-Tariff.

“The land extends to around 109 acres, encompassing arable, pasture and woodland.”

Furze Farm in Oxfordshire is set over 109 acres (Image: Savills)

The four-bedroom farmhouse was built by the current owners in 1996, constructed using red brick under a tile roof and approached via a private driveway.

It has a pond as well as a stone Ha-Ha and a summerhouse for entertaining.

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There is 68 acres of arable land, 17 acres of pasture land, 20 acres of woodland area and four acres of miscellaneous areas.

Farm buildings include a grain store and a dryer, with a capacity of approximately 500 tonnes, as well as a workshop, lean-to, tractor shed, machinery shed and building currently used as container storage.

It features commercial offices which are currently let as two office units to tenants occupying on licence agreements.

Police officers and staff across the UK have called for better integrated IT systems, improved training and greater user input after a national survey found widespread dissatisfaction with police technology. The findings are based on responses from 8,081 people across forces.

More than half of police officers up to the rank of Chief Inspector were dissatisfied with the digital, data and technology provided by their forces. Among senior officers, dissatisfaction rose to 64%. Among staff, 50% were satisfied and 37% dissatisfied, leaving overall dissatisfaction across all respondents at 49%.

The survey, carried out by Policing Insight with support from a steering group including the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Police Federation of England and Wales, the Home Office and the Police Digital Service, points to persistent concerns about fragmented systems, poor integration and weak support.

Only 16% of respondents said the police systems they use are well integrated. A quarter said they receive high-quality training that is timely, beneficial and ongoing. Meanwhile, 40% said the main operational systems they rely on are efficient and effective, and 39% said those systems are easy to use.

Some measures were more positive. Overall satisfaction had improved since a previous survey in 2018, while 61% of users were satisfied with the range and quality of devices provided by forces and 59% said they were always able to access police operating systems.

User frustration

Beyond the headline figures, respondents submitted more than 35,000 comments describing their day-to-day experience with police technology. They highlighted duplicated work, unreliable systems and poor support, particularly for officers and staff working around the clock.

Many said they were forced to enter the same information into multiple systems that do not communicate properly. Others described technology that was difficult to use, badly designed or introduced without enough consultation with the people expected to rely on it in operational roles.

The report linked those problems to wider effects on morale and performance, citing concerns about the impact of failing or poorly connected systems on investigations, intelligence sharing and, in some cases, judicial outcomes.

Some comments also referred to mental health and wellbeing, with accounts of colleagues being reduced to tears, taking sickness absence or leaving policing altogether because of frustration with the systems they were required to use.

A passage in the report states: “The key issues highlighted by 8,081 UK police officers and staff are a combination of fragmented and often outdated technology, poor process design, and insufficient investment.

“Those concerns are compounded by significant struggles around interoperability, a lack of user-centred design, weak governance, and minimal learning and support.

“All of which contributes to damaging workforce wellbeing and morale, limitations on the ability of officers and staff to do a good job, and in some instances a worrying potential impact on judicial outcomes.”

Calls for change

Respondents called for greater national standardisation of systems across policing, as well as more involvement from front-line users in design and development. The findings suggest many officers and staff do not see current systems as reflecting the realities of police work.

Chief Constable Rob Carden, NPCC lead for digital, data and technology, acknowledged the findings in the report. “I know that officers and staff are too often hampered by technical barriers. As highlighted throughout this report, the digital provisions we have in place make it difficult to share intelligence, limit collaboration and in some circumstances, slow investigations.

“We are working hard to remove those barriers, with significant work taking place in the background to address the issues highlighted throughout this report… Please rest assured that the issues highlighted have been heard, and will be recorded and acted upon as a priority.”

Simon Kempton, National Board member at the Police Federation of England and Wales, said the findings reflected repeated concerns rather than isolated complaints.

“The experiences described throughout this report are not isolated complaints or resistance to change. They are consistent themes repeated by thousands of respondents across forces and roles.

“Officers describe spending excessive time duplicating information across systems that do not communicate properly. Staff describe inefficient processes and unreliable workflows. Many speak openly about the stress created by systems that add complexity to already pressured environments.

“The message from officers and staff is clear. They want systems that are reliable, integrated, intuitive and genuinely supportive of the job they do. They want better training, better support and a stronger voice in shaping the technology they use.

“Above all, they want digital systems that help them serve the public effectively rather than placing further obstacles in their way.”