More details on processing plant near Broughton Astley capable of handling 55,000 tonnes of waste a year

The planned anaerobic digestion centre at Sutton Lodge Farm has been on the cards since 2009, but only the site access has been built since approval was given for it in 2010.

Now, applicant Sutton Lodge Biogas Limited is seeking approval from Leicestershire County Council to make changes to the original planning permission to render the plant compliant with more recent environmental requirements and new guidance on best practice. Anaerobic digestion is a green energy process which ferments raw materials, or feedstock, in a large, airtight tank to create biomethane and CO2.

The applicant proposes using a mixture of crops and agricultural waste for the site, such as manure, to generate biomethane gases which can then be fed back into the gas network. Leftover products from the process can then be used as fertiliser.

Sutton Lodge Biogas Limited had previously proposed to use food waste as a significant portion of the feed for the plant. However, this is no longer expected to be the case for the plant, off Frolesworth Road, prompting some concerns locally.

Harborough District Council said new Government rules would soon require it to carry out food waste collections for households. It said this created a need for more sites where that rubbish can be processed, while the changes to the proposal would remove one such site.

Changes are also proposed to when products can be exported from the site, and how this could be done. The previous planning permission restricted this to between March and September each year, with exports to be by road and by a new pipeline.

However, the applicant is now seeking permission to transport products away from the site year-round, with this, at least initially, to all be carried out by road. Broughton Astley Parish Council said it is concerned the removal of the pipeline will take away a potential way of reducing the number of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on the road.

Planning officers at Leicestershire County Council said they do not believe the changes would not alter the number of HGVs allowed to travel to and from the site, with limits currently restricting this to 23 in and 23 out. They also said there was no condition on the original application restricting the import of waste materials to the site, so HGV movements would have been expected all year-round anyway.

Moreover, changing the existing condition would “provide the applicant with greater flexibility to respond to demand”. The highways team at the county council raised no objections to the changes.

Further concerns were raised by the parish council that a proposed one-way system for entering and leaving the site via the B4114 Coventry Road would create “significant difficulties” on the road, and potential safety risks for cyclists and motorists. Again, county officers disagreed, saying this formed part of the original plans and therefore was deemed acceptable at the time of the 2010 approval.

Noise limits are also set to increase under the latest submission. The applicant said the existing limits on noise levels are out of date, with background noise around the site now louder than the condition allowed for. Officers said due to this, the condition was “no longer reasonable or enforceable” and a higher limit should be permitted.

The change in condition also proposes some changes to the site’s layout, with building heights and footprints to be reduced, odour treatment infrastructure and CO2 recovery equipment to be added, and new boiler and pump rooms to be included.

Ultimately, planning officers have ruled the proposed changes to be acceptable. They have recommended the council’s development control committee approve the application when it meets later this week.