A BIOGAS Anaerobic Digestion plant near Nomansland will not be allowed to operate with the higher energy output which was originally agreed in 2013, following a decision last week by government planning inspector Paul Dignan.

The unit is located next to the Broiler Units at Menchine Farm, which is a supplier of organic chicken to one of the UK’s leading supermarkets.

The AD plant has been operating since 2014 and was originally designed to operate using some 3,000 tonnes of poultry litter and 6,545 tonnes of maize/grass silage as the feedstock. This was all to be transported from within a 6km radius of Menchine Farm and would allow an output of up to 500kW using a single combined heat and power unit (CHP).

Even operating on this basis and with these feedstock levels, the number of additional trips on local roads and along the B3167 running through Nomansland has increased significantly.

When the operator applied to increase the output, which would have resulted in more traffic on the local roads, Mid Devon District Council Planners were unable to consider the application in the required time as the applicant had not provided enough evidence to support the increased traffic.

This meant the operator could appeal to the Secretary of State in order to try to secure planning permission.

Sandford and Creedy Ward members, Councillors Judi Binks and Margaret Squires, have both commented: “It’s good news that the Government’s Planning Inspector has listened to the concerns of the residents and has agreed with the decision which Mid Devon Planning Committee made back in December 2014; reinforcing the importance of the need for Nomansland Biogas to operate the AD plant in compliance with conditions attached to the operation.”