We are aware of local concerns relating to the construction of the anaerobic digestion plant near Bressingham – The Deal Farm Biogas Project will produce renewable biomethane injected into the national gas grid and renewable organic fertilisers from locally sourced manures, slurries and crops.
The Deal Farm Project will help the UK meet its renewable targets, help energy-security, lock atmospheric carbon into soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farming, replace chemical fertilisers with organic ones, provide steady income for local farmers and secure and create new jobs in the rural economy at a time when the future of UK farming competing in a global market is uncertain. The Deal Farm Biogas Project will give local farmers a stable, long-term, local outlet for their manures, slurries and crops while producing renewable gas and fertilisers in the fight against climate change. All the intended feedstock for this plant has been grown, produced and on the local roads in the area for years.
In response to the concerns raised, we can clearly say that the application with South Norfolk Council Planning Authority is to vary condition 2: the layout of the plant only. The documents submitted relate to swapping of the relative positions of the digester tanks and crop storage area; the inclusion of a firewater lagoon and secondary containment area (as recommended by the Environment Agency in their most recent guidelines both of which are improvements relating to safety and environmental protection over and above the original design); and a covered store for the storage of manures.
We are hopeful that the changes will be received for what they are – improvements on the pre-existing design with no attempt to increase the scale of the operation.
In short, we cannot run more vehicles or process more material than the original permission allows because the Project is not asking to change those limits.
We have been in close consultation with the local Councillor and concerned residents throughout, including organising a meeting back in August of the local Parish Councils and Mr Easter in order for them to explain their concerns to us personally and allow us to make changes. We were very pleased to receive a number of messages from residents following these meetings and calls thanking us for our efforts and for the further measures put in place over and above those required by the planning permission where issues were identified.
Throughout the construction we have closely managed traffic, encouraging residents to contact us directly with footage of vehicles not following the signs and road marshals; and immediately following up any transgression with enforcement action – which has resulted in the banning of vehicles from site where they continued to break the site rules. We intend to take the same robust approach to site operations.
While we understand there will always be concerns and fears during the planning and construction of new facilities, the Deal Farm Biogas project is committed to being a good neighbour and having a positive involvement with the local community.
Deal Farm Biogas Project
