Opposition mounts to biomass plant project
Published on Shepton Mallet Journal Website on Tuesday, March 10, 2009
More than 70 people attended the town’s annual parish meeting on Monday night and worried residents voiced concerns about the proposal by Bronzeoak Thermal to build the plant at Dimmer to generate electricity for thousands of homes.
Castle Cary Town Council, and Carymoor, Ansford and Lydford parish councils, are united in protest against the plan.
They argue the plant is too big, is in the wrong place and would create an extra 100 lorry movements a day delivering 250,000 tons of material for burning a year, wreaking havoc on already dangerous rural roads.
They are also worried about noise and air pollution and that the burning waste could emit dangerous dioxins.
Bronzeoak operated an animal carcass incinerator at Dimmer from 1998 to dispose of carcasses following the BSE crisis but it was shut down by the Environment Agency in 2006 for breaching emissions regulations.
The residents have just endured a five-year battle with Crown Pet Foods – first over the massive scale of their controversial building dominating the outskirts of the town and then over smells emanating from the factory.
Their protests and rigorous monitoring and controls by the Environment Agency finally helped stop the smells.
Bronzeoak has yet to make a formal application to South Somerset District Council for its plant.
It claims the 25 megawatt generator will make a significant contribution towards the Govern- ment’s sustainable energy targets and create diversification opportunities for farmers to grow energy crops to fuel the burner.
But indications are that the chimney alone will be 197ft high – far higher than Wells Cathedral and 72ft higher than the Crown Pet Foods factory, which dominates the landscape.
Speaking at Monday’s meeting, County Councillor Henry Hobhouse urged the community to get mobilised and activated to stop the plans in their tracks.
“We do need biomass plants but this one is the wrong scale in the wrong place.” he said, adding that Bronzeoak’s track record filled him with no confidence at all.
Residents have set up their own action website, with campaign updates and a petition, at www.dimmeractiongroup.co.uk.
A meeting to form an action committee will be held at 7.30pm on Monday, March 23, in the Methodist Church hall at Castle Cary.
Bronzeoak says its proposals are at an early stage but the community will be involved in consultations at the appropriate time.
District councillor John Crossley urged residents to concentrate on coming up with solid and sound planning policy reasons for refusing the scheme or risk losing the battle – and the council losing thousands of pounds if the company appeals against any refusal and wins its case.
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