PLANS for a £3 million abattoir on a remote site have gained the support of councillors in a nearby town.C & K Meats of Brome have submitted proposals to Mid Suffolk District Council for a development at Yaxley which also involve the creation of a 12 million litre effluent lagoon.

PLANS for a £3 million abattoir on a remote site have gained the support of councillors in a nearby town.

C & K Meats of Brome have submitted proposals to Mid Suffolk District Council for a development at Yaxley which also involve the creation of a 12 million litre effluent lagoon.

Occupants of three homes a few hundred yards from the site have said they are “horrified” by the plan, claiming they will suffer from noise and smell nuisances.

But members of Eye Town Council's planning committee have decided to support for the project.

Mayor, Simon Hooton, said yesterday that councillors had recognised the need for a new abattoir to replace the company's existing slaughterhouse at Earsham.

“We appreciate its important value not only for the local area but for the whole of Suffolk,” he said.

The company's plans to build the abattoir on the Eye Business Park had last year been opposed by town councillors and subsequently refused planning permission by the district council - because of the commercial concerns of other food firms in the area.

“In recommending refusal for that plan we said the company should find an isolated site.

“They have now done that and we feel that, although there are three residential properties a short distance away, it is as good a site as they are going to get,” Mr Hooton said.

Plans to landscape the abattoir by building a bank around it and planting hundreds of trees had been noted.

“We believe there are more benefits than disbenefits to be had,” Mr Hooton added.

C & K Meats claim its business has been “put on hold” for the past three years because the Earsham slaughterhouse has reached capacity.

It believes the new development is necessary to cater for the needs of livestock farmers over a wide area.

Kevin Burrows, joint managing director, said without a local “multi species” abattoir farmers would have to transport livestock over long distances, a situation which would be costly in both financial and animal welfare terms.

More than 600 farmers had signed a petition in favour of the previous plan and many other shad sent in individual letters of support.

Mr Burrows said if planning permission was granted for the Yaxley site then the company would not pursue an attempt to overturn the refusal of permission for an abattoir at Eye Business Park.

Yaxley Parish Council is due to discuss the abattoir plan on May 30.