An abattoir near Ashby has had expansion plans approved despite concerns from neighbours about foul waste running into the surrounding area.

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

On the night, the meeting was told that much of what had been applied for had already been built and with concerns from residents over other potentially unauthorised development.

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.

Council officers said other works on site, a straw barn which had been temporarily used for livestock, had been built through a prior notification application and had been properly vetted at the time.

However, councillors also voted to remove permitted development rights from the site to ensure every change on site would require planning permission, should the owners wish to expand further in the future.

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".

A resident speaking on behalf of the eight homes close to the site said the property had become dominated by "piecemeal and unregulated development", including a wide array of artificial lighting near their houses.

He claimed discoloured water was running into the surrounding field, "killing plants and trees", including "foul waste and effluent".

Ross Pickstock, who owns the business with his father and sister, said they took over the site in 2020 with the property having been used as an abattoir for 30 years.

He said some buildings on site had been "mothballed" for five years 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.

Cllr Steve Taylor said: "The community of Hartshorne are all too aware of the scale of the business and that does come with impact, and that comes with a successful business.

"I would hope the planning committee would be looking quite closely at containment of this site, we are talking about effluent, and we cannot have that impacting on adjacent land.

"I do not want to make things worse than are already alleged."

Cllr Jane Caroll said: "If you drive by that road at night it is like there is a whole town there. It is worse than driving through the centre of Derby (due to the lighting).

"Surely that impacts the wildlife and the bats. It is already a distraction for drivers. There was also an engine running the whole time we were there. The noise was horrendous."

Cllr Amy Wheelton said: "I have huge sympathy for residential amenity and the neighbours, It was noisy, I think it was the refrigerated lorries.

"They will be back at planning because they are growing and they need to start tackling residential amenity. We will need to know where the lorries are to be parked and we need to see this site enforced.

"We want to support you but residential amenity needs to be improved and you need to be a good neighbour."

Cllr Andrew Kirke said: "It is incumbent on the owner of the business to be a responsible business owner and I would like to see closer working and cooperation with the neighbours."