OPPOSITION was growing among villagers in Lower Moor 25 years ago as planning giant Velcourt Ltd was planning to double its poultry productions by building three new broiler houses, equipment and feed stores.

The company submitted an outline application for three broiler production units on its site between Blacksmith’s Lane and Salters Lane, where it already operated three such houses.

But local residents were determined to fight the application and a petition of objection gathered strength.

John Mortimer, whose home would have backed onto the proposed new roads access and turning bay for the extended poultry farm, said at the time that the application would swamp the village.

“If this plan were allowed to go ahead it would turn the village of only 175 into an industrial estate.

“There would be heavy lorries trundling in and out with deliveries of feed and more lorries to collect the fattended birds for slaughter. And the site would be a great attraction for vermin to gather,” said Mr Mortimer.

The application from Velcourt followed the rejection of the company’s plan for a chicken farm of 17 houses each with 30,000 birds to be built on Throckmorton’s disused airfield.

Wychavon District Council planners turned down the proposal after hearing from environmental health officers there could be no guarantee the farm would not pose an environmental hazard.

The new proposals, which included plans to refurbish the existing poultry houses, were already being closely examined by Wychavon’s environmental health departments.

Planning officer Richard Alexander said: “We shall be looking very closely at the environmental implications of the proposals, in particular with regard to their effect on nearby residential properties.”

The council’s officers also considered the problem of smell and whether the scale of the planned development would create a nuisance.

As well as raising a petition, Lower Moor villagers were calling an emergency meeting.

Meanwhile plans for a big new housing estate near the centre of Evesham were given the goahead.

Councillors recommended approval of the application by Lovell Urband Renewal Ltd to put 85 homes at the Idiens depot in Briar Close after members said it would enhance an industrial area of the town.

October 11 1963 FOUR cross-suffolk ewes at the Ab Lench farm of Mr F P Hadley gave birth to two batches of lambs within 12 months 50 years ago.

The first arrivals in 1963 came in January, and the second batch of five lambs arrived in September. The farm manager, Mr A Hemming, said his knowledge of sheep dated back to his boyhood, but he could not recall a similar instance of Suffolks or cross-Suffolks lambing twice in the same year.

He believed the pnenomenon may be explained by the fact that during the unusually severe winter, the ewes were kept indoors and well fed, thus enabling them to maintain a good condition.

“The lambs born to the four ewes in January are still on the farm, and the second batch of lambs was achieved without the use artificial means,” said Mr Hemming. Altogether, there were 100 breeding ewes on the farm, half of them cross-Suffolks and the rest Border Leicesters.