Chicken poo biogas plant 'would kill our village'

An action group says building a biogas plant fuelled by chicken droppings near their homes would "kill the village".

The proposed site on the outskirts of Anwick, Lincolnshire, would process 120,000 tonnes of faeces and feedstock waste to produce gas pumped into the national grid.

An online petition against the plans has been signed by over 600 people, with concerns including the size and smell of the plant.

Developer Steam Bioenergy said the project would be "a state-of-the-art development with a robust multi-stage odour control system".

The proposed plant would include eight digester tanks which are 25m (82ft) tall, as well as a processing building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Residents have expressed concerns over the nearest homes being located only 200m away.

Elaine Coulson, Anwick Action Group leader and chair of Anwick Parish Council, said: "If this goes ahead, it would kill the village.

"Nobody would be able to sell their houses, and nobody would want to come here.

"It's bad enough having Moy Park on our doorstep, which smells two or three days a week."

She added that the action group were concerned on the "sheer size" of the proposed plant, and said it would "over-industrialise our little village".

Councillor Mervyn Head, who represents the area on North Kesteven District Council, said: "I'm passionate about the environment and I would support this plant in the right location.

"But I will not support it when it's detrimental to the residents of Anwick."

Stream Bioenergy said it had completed a "detailed odour assessment" that predicted odour levels at neighbouring properties would be "well within accepted limits set for human health and residential amenity."

It also said it would not handle or store the waste outside in order to minimise smells.

The company claimed there would be a maximum of three HGV movements per hour which would have a "negligible" impact.

Lincolnshire County Council will decide whether to approve the application, which is open for public comment.

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