Chicken waste biogas plant at Anwick likely to be rejected despite changes

The proposal for Anwick near Sleaford attracted hundreds of complaints, with villagers fearing bad smells and heavy traffic.

It went before Lincolnshire County Council’s planning committee in May, but was withdrawn before a final decision could be made.

Developer Stream BioEnergy has resubmitted it, although officers still believe it would be inappropriate.

The company said at the time: “We and the Lincolnshire Country Council planning department agreed to defer this application from the May planning committee agenda to allow us appropriate time to fully review the planning officer’s report before presenting at a future planning committee.

“We remain fully committed to this development, which represents a £115million investment that will support the important agri-food sector in Lincolnshire.”

Despite the changes, planning officers believe it would break policies on protecting the landscape and historic environment.

A report by council officers says its size would mean “the industrialisation of the countryside with significant adverse harm to the landscape character.”

Plans show eight digester tanks, each 25 metres tall, located around 200 metres from the nearest homes.

Dozens of residents have attended planning meetings to campaign against the proposal.

District and Parish Councillor Mervyn Head, who represents the village, previously said: “I utterly reject it as cynical and exploitative. This is a failure of planning and principle which trades wellbeing for profit dressed in environmental PR.”

The plant would turn 120,000 tonnes of chicken waste and waste feedstock into renewable gas each year.

The developer says it will provide renewable energy with no impact on homes, using “a state-of-the-art development” to control bad smells.

The application’s fate will be determined at the meeting on Monday, September 7.