Swindon villagers outraged at anaerobic digester expansion plans

Biomethane Castle Eaton Ltd already runs a small anaerobic digester at Castle Eaton Farm and wants to put a fourth digester on site.

The original application was made more than two years ago and sparked opposition which saw banners and posters put up throughout the village; residents were particularly concerned about the traffic of trucks and tankers.

Now the company has submitted a transport plan where it says it anticipated 10,000 separate trips to or from the farm, the vast bulk being lorry journeys bringing feedstock or taking away gas or fertiliser.

It says: “The proposals will result in an increase of 1,930 HGVs two-way movements per annum, these being spread across a larger harvest window as the number of farmers supplying is greater. This level of increase is unlikely to materially affect the use of Droveway by vehicles.”

The company has also put in a traffic management plan which says: “The existing access to the site, via a priority junction off Water Eaton Lane and along Droveway, will be improved to provide two passing bays along the road and widening on the approach to the bend near to the site entrance to facilitate two HGVs passing.

“This will mitigate the impact of increased HGV movements while also offering safe space for vulnerable users such as pedestrians and equestrians to wait while large vehicles pass.”

But neighbours of the farm are not at all convinced.

More than a dozen letters have been sent in response and the local Digester Working Group has also contacted planners. It said: “10,003 two-way movements per year, or 833 per month, or 32 per day is certainly a material effect.”

In response to the proposal to improve the Droveway with passing spaces, the group said: “These should have been constructed in 2006. There are two non-discharged conditions dating from 2006. One of these requires the construction of the two passing places.”

Villager David Rogers wrote: “The suggestion that some heavy vehicle parking spaces could be built within the village itself beggars belief. This planning application appears to provide maximum impact with zero benefit to the local community.”

And Hayley Allen said: “There are no pavements along the road and even with widening the road, there is no space for a walker/cyclist/horse rider if two large vehicles passed each other. “It’s also not a very straight road and large vehicles regularly come flying around a corner only to have to slam their brakes on (or more often not) when they see a pedestrian/cyclist/horse rider in the road.”

Michael Lingwood added: “I urge you to consider the hundreds of other objections to this development from both residents and industry partners in the area. This development will not bring any benefit to the local economy, but instead, it will increase bad will and resentment within the community. We should not be exposed to this proposed increase in traffic and its associated pollutants.”

Another resident, Nick Hardman wrote: “The volume [of traffic] will be a vast increase from the current and established norm. This will negatively impact the local area and the environment. HGV traffic already thunder along the road shaking the houses.

“There have been further minor traffic accidents within the past 12 months along the road and this highlights the unsuitability for an increase in traffic.”