Proposed biodigester wins environmental permit

The proposed plant at Whitwick Manor would gather 100,000 tonnes of poultry manure a year from the area’s farms

Revised plans for an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Herefordshire have won a permit from the Environment Agency (EA).

Landowner Nicholas Layton plans to build the unit at Whitwick Manor, near Ledbury. If approved, it would convert poultry manure and other farming waste into natural gas.

While Mr Layton said the digester would not damage the River Wye's ecosystem, environmental groups have expressed serious concerns that it would harm an already fragile habitat.

A decision on his planning application is due to be made by Herefordshire Council in December, after first submitting proposals for the unit, near Yarkhill, two years ago.

If it gets the green light, the AD will take in 116,000 tonnes of poultry manure and apple pulp a year from the area's farms, generating enough natural gas to supply about 6,000 homes, the application states.

The scheme would also produce a nutrient-rich residue that could be sold as fertiliser.

But it has drawn hundreds of objections from the public, with concerns over pollution, impact on the landscape and traffic.

In January, analysis by county council officers concluded there would be "an adverse effect on the integrity" of the protected River Wye catchment.

The status of the Wye was last year downgraded to “unfavourable – declining” by Natural England after fewer species, such as Atlantic salmon, were recorded.

Poultry waste contains phosphorous that can contribute to excess algae growth in rivers.

The 19-hectare plant could strip 95% of phosphate from 100,000 tonnes of chicken muck a year, according to the applicant's agent, Bourne Valley Associates

In October Mr Layton's agent, Bourne Valley Associates, told the county council's planning team a modified scheme would lead to a net decrease in phosphorous pollution.

The building consultancy said no phosphate fertiliser produced by the digester would be sold back into the River Wye's catchment.

An EA spokesperson confirmed a permit had been issued, with a number of "pre-operational" conditions.

"This ensures that the proposed operations will not cause harm to the environment. We understand that the site will also be subject to planning consent," they said.

However, environmental groups called on the agency to explain why it had issued the permit, given the poor state of the Wye and its tributary, the Lugg.

"Granting the permit is premature and seems to ride roughshod over our democratic process of determining these applications in the round, with proper scrutiny and local expertise, " said Andrew McRobb, director of CPRE Herefordshire.

Tom Tibbits, chair of Friends of the River Wye, warned there was a very real risk of a "catastrophic pollution event", in a sensitive part of the river Lugg's catchment.