West Suffolk Council objects to proposal for anaerobic digestion plant in Withersfield near Haverhill

West Suffolk Council (WSC) has said that building an anaerobic digestion plant on the outskirts of Haverhill would have a ‘damaging impact’ on ecology, highway safety, landscape and countryside and the risk of flooding.

The council made its observations during a new and current round of consultation for the application, first submitted to Suffolk County Council in September 2022 by Acorn Bioenergy Ltd, to build the biogas facility on 31 acres at the Thurlow Estate-owned Spring Grove Farm, next to the A1307 in Withersfield and close to housing and The EpiCentre.

Having already objected to the proposal during a previous round of consultation, the council said a new response needed to be made in view of its emerging local plan, which it said ‘must be afforded considerable weight in planning decisions’.

The plant would be used to convert crops such as rye, oat and maize, plus grass sileage, straw, slurry and poultry litter - all brought to the site on lorries - into methane gas for heating and transport and to produce fertiliser.

Hundreds of objectors, be it individuals, companies, councils or other organisations, had already raised concerns over the potential for odours from the plant, the effect on residents and businesses, the impact on the flood plain next to it, as well as the detrimental effects on the nearby road network of more HGV movements.

The WSC planning officer’s comments in the new consultation said: “The site is situated in a very rural, heavily landscaped area and the addition of an AD Plant in this location would be a significant industrial intrusion in the landscape and would cause significant harm to the character and appearance of the countryside and landscape.”

They added: “The proposal would also have a detrimental impact on ecology, due to insufficient information to identify what ecology is present on the site, and therefore it is not possible to assess the impact on the ecology, consideration of biodiversity enhancements and any necessary mitigation for the site.”

The council’s submission cited concerns raised by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk Highways that the proposal would have a ‘detrimental impact on road safety’.

The comments said: “The applicants have failed to take into consideration appropriate accident data from relevant districts, together with the proposal failing to provide a full trip generation assessment.”

The land at Spring Grove Farm is situated within a flood zone, said West Suffolk Council, and has a ‘high probability of flooding’. The applicants, it added, have ‘failed to provide a drainage strategy for the site’.

The report quoted National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which states: “Inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or future).

“Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.”