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A Halifax pet food firm has been allowed a new storage building despite objectors’ fears it will worsen unpleasant smells escaping from the site.

Calderdale planning councillors have approved Omega Proteins Ltd’s application to build the shed at its Swales Moor Farm premises on Swales Moor Road in Halifax.

They hardened timescales for some conditions to regulate the development before giving the approval, as recommended to do by planning officer, who said it had been partly-built already.

Among objectors, Denise Walton – development monitoring officer for the Shibden Valley Society – said allowing more material to be stored would likely see the situation with smells coming from the site deteriorate.

Councillor Steven Leigh had asked if planning conditions could address the concerns raised

She said efforts the company made to minimise smells emanating from the site were recognised but feared existing issues, most prevalent in hot weather, would worsen.

“With much more waste and no more staff, this problem will only get worse and malodours more frequent,” she said.

“That’s going to have tonnes more animal by-products waste left in it.

“Communities around the area have suffered a long, long time with malodours.

Omega Proteins Ltd is based at the Swales Moor Farm, Swales Moor Road, Halifax, complex. Picture: Google

“It doesn’t get any better no matter what they do.

“If you’re close enough to the buildings it is enough to make you feel sick, quite frankly.”

The wind blew odours down into the valley, claimed Ms Walton.

“At the top of New Bank, some days it hits you like a wall, its horrible,” she added.

Councillor Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) asked if planning conditions could address those issues but officers said the application could not be used to tackle previous issues, which would have to be dealt with by enforcement.

For the applicants, agent Andrew Watt said the new building would improve the situation.

Material would only be stored briefly there as it was processed for pet food and had to be fresh, though that did not mean there would be no odours.

The company, he said, used the material stored to make pet food “for ordinary supermarket pet food names you would recognise – it has to be clean and appropriately handled”.

A mix of ways to manage air flow through the building were undertaken by the business, he said.

The company was constantly investing in improvements, he added.

Omega Proteins: Foul smell worries dismissed as Halifax pet food firm granted permission for new storage shed