Plans for a large anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at a Herefordshire farm are back in play, after the site's owner lodged an appeal against Herefordshire Council's refusal of the scheme late last year.
Nicholas Layton of Whitwick Manor, located between Bromyard and Hereford, first submitted the application nearly four years ago. The proposed unit would process around 100,000 tonnes of poultry manure annually alongside other food and farming waste, producing enough gas to supply roughly 6,000 homes. Heat generated by the process would also be used to dry grain, requiring a new store with 20,000-tonne capacity.
The original application also covered feedstock storage clamps, tanks, lagoons and a wetland filtration system, a connection to the national gas grid, solar panels on buildings, a grain store and dryer, and new access onto the A417.
The scheme drew strong opposition, attracting close to 350 objections centred on concerns about its environmental, landscape and traffic impact. Following extended discussion between Layton's representatives and the council over technical details, planning officer Rebecca Jenman refused the application last December, judging it to be a standalone industrial-scale facility that would be visually intrusive in its rural setting. The council's decision notice also cited unresolved concerns about potential effects on local water and air quality.
Layton has now taken the refusal to the Government's Planning Inspectorate. Among the 29 documents submitted so far, a Statement of Case argues the scheme fits with planning policy at national, local and neighbourhood level, and that substantial mitigation measures proposed would leave a net benefit for landscape and ecology. The statement further contends the council failed to follow proper procedure in assessing likely air emissions, and did not weigh the scheme's benefits within an overall "planning balance."
The appeal is open for comment until 12 August, with the planning inquiry set to begin on 6 October.
Separately, a bid by Layton's company STL Energy for a 265-home development on farmland east of Hereford was rejected by the council within a day of the AD refusal. That decision has also now been appealed.
Whitwick Manor anaerobic digester plans appeal launched
