The company behind a hugely controversial pig farm in Derbyshire, which has been at the centre of a planning battle raging since 2011, has lodged an appeal against the Environment Agency’s decision not to grant an environmental permit.

In February this year, the Environment Agency refused to grant Midlands Pig Producers’ planned farm an environmental permit, with officials warning that the proposed facility, which would house 24,500 pigs, would offend human senses; the site, at Foston, Derbyshire, is near a school and a prison.

35,000 people signed a petition against the mega-farm and celebrities including the Wire’s Dominic West and TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have backed a high profile campaign urging officials to throw out the plans.

Nevertheless, back in February MPP said that the Environment Agency’s decision marked the beginning of a new phase of its plans, rather than the end of its Foston project.  On Thursday, the company confirmed that it had lodged an appeal against the ruling with the Planning Inspectorate.

In addition to high-profile campaigns by animal welfare groups, locals in Foston and the surrounding villages have claimed the proposed farm would cause environmental damage, carry public health risks and overtax local infrastructure.