Biogas plant set for approval despite campaign

Plans to build an anaerobic digestion facility near Grantham are being recommended for approval at a meeting next week.

Ironstone Energy applied for planning permission to build the facility on farmland on the Lincolnshire/Leicestershire border, just outside the village of Sewstern.

The company said the facility would convert about 130,000 tonnes of purpose-grown crops into biomethane, generating enough energy to supply gas for about 18,000 homes annually.

More than 1,000 people had signed a petition against the plans, citing concerns about lorries and the visual impact on the countryside.

The application stated that the site was chosen because of its proximity to an existing high-pressure gas grid network.

The plant's location was also considered to be near farms that could provide purpose-grown crops.

It would employ six full-time staff.

There was opposition to the plans when they were announced, with concerns being raised over road safety and a call for the plant to be built on industrial land instead.

There is also the risk of the plant causing odour emissions, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, the application stated that "dispersion modelling" had been carried out in a bid to "predict odour concentrations". It added: "Residual air quality and odour effects as a result of the development are predicted to be not significant, in accordance with the relevant guidance."

South Kesteven District Council planning officers have recommended councillors approve the plans when they meet on 9 January.

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