A HUGE clutch of clucking chickens could soon be supplying Sevenoaks businesses with a steady flow of free-range eggs.

Kevin and Lisa Hall want to build a poultry house at their home on Little Lucy's Farm, Lower Street.

MAKING PLANS: Kelvin and Lisa Hall, of Little Lucy's Farm, on Lower Street in Hildenborough, who are hoping to build a free-range egg production unit for up to 12,000 chickens, pictured on Wednesday on the proposed site for the unit AH3006101/1
PREMIER LEAGUE LAYERS: Kelvin and Lisa Hall, who are hoping to build a free-range egg production unit for up to 12,000 chickens at their Little Lucy's Farm home TWGF20100816B_4-C

The 12,000 birds would be housed in a large barn, giving them access to 15 acres of land which lies alongside the A21 bypass in Hildenborough.

It is the first venture of this kind for the couple, and Mr Hall, 50, said they were eager to use the land agriculturally rather than see it built upon.

"There is so much land that gets turned into golf courses and goes to the leisure industry, I just wanted to keep it agricultural," he said.

"The free-range demands are going up with restrictions on battery eggs so I wanted to make good agricultural use of the land."

And the thought of having 12,000 chickens living on his doorstep is not concerning Mr Hall.

"Chickens do not make that much noise and we are right next to the A21 so any noise is drowned out by the traffic," he said.

Even the possibility of not-so-pleasant smells coming from the unit has been catered for.

"The key is to keep the unit dry, as it is when their food becomes wet, that's when the smell comes," he said.

"This is done by a company called John Bowler's Eggs, who will provide all kinds of equipment so it runs smoothly."

And just in case anything goes wrong, the wonders of modern technology will lend a helping hand.

"If anything goes wrong with any of the equipment, we get an automated text to our mobile phones to let us know – the system is so advanced," he said.

The eco-entrepreneur said he has been considering the venture for a number of years and was hopeful the application to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council would be successful.

"It is not something I would do lightly and we are really looking forward to it," he said.

"We would like to supply local businesses, restaurants and pubs with locally produced free-range eggs."

Eco tip of the week Products such as suntan lotion can harm aquatic life if not disposed of properly. Before throwing away liquid beauty products, pour the liquid into cat litter, let the litter absorb the liquid, then toss the whole thing.