Warminster Biogas plant approved.

11.48.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th Jul 2010

An application for the erection of a Biogas Plant, together with employment units, landscaping and access works at Bore Hill Farm on Deverill Road Warminster has been approved by Wiltshire's Strategic Planning Committee.

The applicant is Malaby Biogas, and their scheme is for a 680kW plant which uses Anaerobic Digestion and combined heat and power (CHP) technology. The plant will eat food waste and farm slurry, and there will be a 'visitor centre' where people will be able to see how the latest technology can be used for the benefit of the local economy.

The output from the process will include electricity for internal use, with the surplus being fed into the national grid. The residual material will be used as agricultural compost.

However residents of Ashley Place and Ludlow Close are worried about the impact of the proposal. Their objections centred around the appearance of the site, and possible disruption caused by noise or smell. There could also be road safety problems at the access. Sixteen letters of objection were received by the council together with 26 statements of support.

Several local residents spoke at the planning meeting in Trowbridge. Ashley Price of Ashley Place questioned the suitability of the location. "Where are the green benefits if all the material is being transported by lorry?" she asked.

Trevor Gilbert of Ludlow Close pointed out that methane is flammable, explosive and toxic, and that the plant could emit smell and noise 24 hours a day. "Loss of the buffer zone around Warminster would be extremely detrimental - this plant should go on Crusader Park or the old Cement works," he said.

Speaking for the application Toby and Thomas Minter, directors of Malaby Biogas, read out letters from the Chamber of Commerce and from the Anaerobic and Biogas Association, and planning consultant Chris Beaver pointed out that the applicants were a local company and that this would be the first private sector biogas plant in Wiltshire. He said the site was chosen because it met the criteria of planning policy, road access, national grid availability, and with a reasonable buffer between it and residential properties. In response to the objections he said that apart from the conditions imposed by planners the site would have to meet the requirements of the Environment Agency.

Local councillor Chris Humphries said that he'd never known an application to generate so much public interest. However he was of the opinion that it wouldn't affect the approach to Warminster, would have educational benefit, and that there was no reason to refuse it.

Local MP Andrew Murrison had previously written to the council objecting to the proposal because it would "spoil the main gateway to the town of Warminster and could lead to further development in the green field area to the north of the site."

The committee voted to approve the application by 8 votes to 1 with 2 abstentions.

As well as the biogas plant there will be 6 light industrial units.

www.malabybiogas.com

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When the application was submitted Warminster councillor Paul Batchelor wrote to colleagues expressing his concerns on behalf of residents.

He said, "Many of the residents in Ludlow Close and Ashley Place are retired and keen gardeners. Is it fair that they should be prevented from enjoying their gardens and have to keep their windows closed on warm summer days? Wessex Water has tried for over a decade to contain the smells from the sewage treatment works, but with only limited success. There is no reason to think this would be any different.

This site is directly on one of the principle gateways to the town and currently offers a green vista encouraging people to stop over. There are no mature trees on the roadside of any consequence which could hide the impact of this development. In fact the corner of the site facing directly onto the roundabout is void of any substantial foliage other than a dead tree!

We are fortunate that a few years ago the town council agreed that the fields around the bypass between the road and existing development should never be built on. There are many sites around the county better suited for this kind of operation either adjoining the Hills waste operation or on a farm which is producing the plant's core ingredients."