Councillors on the committee have been accused by the recycling development organisation Wales Environment Trust of appeasing “uninformed” campaigners over the 4.5 million plant.
” There was no attempt made by the committee to explore what they were voting on. “
– Richard Carter, Wales Environment Trust
A senior government official has suggested the project may prove successful in the appeals process, and that the county council might be stung for costs if the Secretary of State feels it has not sufficiently assessed the project.
A council spokesman has said the committee will look again at the project, however.
Proposed for a site near Gwalchmai, the plant was proposed by Anglesey Biogas to store and process approximately 35,000 tonnes of locally derived food and agricultural wastes annually by breaking it down biologically in the absence of oxygen.
The plant would have turned organic wastes into methane gas and a kind of digestate that could be used as fertiliser.
Committee
Anglesey's committee report highlighted potential odour problems from the plant as the biggest concern of the local community, stating: “The nature of the material to be processed at the facility has the potential to cause odour problems and this has been one of the greatest concerns of the local community.”
However, the committee had been told by an independent consultant that: “98% of odours would be contained within the application site boundary and that the remainder of odour would not extend as far as the nearest residential properties or any point of public access.”
The committee reported that the Environment Agency Wales had said it was “fully supportive of this initiative” citing “good sustainability credentials” that “will provide a disposal route for a number of problem wastes in Anglesey arising from the food-processing industries and slaughter process.” The Agency did point out the site would require a PPC permit under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulation 2000.
Trust
Raising the issue after a speech by ODPM head of waste planning Peter Ellis in London yesterday, a representative of the Wales Environment Trust said there had been no attempt by the Anglesey planning committee to explore the proposal before voting on it.
Richard Carter, business development executive for the Trust, said: “The Planning officer recommended it, and the Environment Agency supported it with the standard conditions about emissions. But, there was local opposition of the placard-waving kind, uninformed but supported by the local media.
“The Committee voted down the project 10 to two, there was no attempt made by the committee to explore what they were voting on.
“The North Wales regional planning group did invite the committee to visit anaerobic digestion plants but the invitation was declined. They were voting purely on a local political basis – if you upset those people who aren't in complete attention of the facts anyway, you can't get re-elected,” Mr Carter said.
ODPM
Responding to the issue, Mr Ellis suggested such a plant might have a good chance in the appeals process.
Although he pointed out that his Department had no planning jurisdiction in Wales, he said: “If it was a sensibly formulated proposal the application should be taken to appeal to the Secretary of State. Costs will then be awarded against the authorities concerned. Stinging authorities for costs affects future projects, too – they are keen to avoid these costs and would pay more attention to them.”
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Anglesey
A spokesman for Anglesey council told letsrecycle.com that since the planning and order committee had gone against officers' recommendations, the project would require further hearings within the council.
The spokesman said: “As members of the planning committee went against the officers' recommendation, protocol dictates that the application must go before the committee once again next month for ratification. If decision is ratified, the committee will then finalise reasons for refusals.”
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