Residents learn about biomass energy
Friday, April 10, 2009, 12:00

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CASTLE Cary residents, opposed to the prospect of a large-scale biomass power plant on the town’s outskirts, have attended a talk to discover how it works.

Local interest was heightened in the form of energy after the release of initial plans to build a 25 megawatt plant on land at Dimmer.

Information in a planning document, dated November 2008 and put together by Bronzeoak Thermal, fell into the public domain a few months ago.

It indicated the proposed biomass station, capable of powering thousands of homes, would stand 60 metres high, twice the height of the nearby Crown Pet Foods factory.

On Monday, residents and a newly formed protest group called Care4Cary attended a talk entitled Biomass Heat And Power – A Balanced View at Caryford Hall in Ansford.
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The meeting was organised by Somerset Wildlife Trust and featured Mark Letcher, director of Climate Works Ltd, a Bristol consultancy and design company working in the fields of sustainable energy, low carbon and climate change.

The talk aimed to provide an objective view of biomass and explore how it works, fits into climate change and government policy, and the opportunities and threats for communities.

Resident and Care4Cary action group member Felicity Smith said: “It was very interesting. Biomass power stations, when they are co-located with a source of biomass and sited where the heat and the power can be used, seem to be a good idea.

“Badly sited power stations, though, are most definitely not green. They appear to be cynical exercises in subsidy-harvesting and political targets; it’s all about quota capture, not carbon capture.”

Bronzeoak Thermal has indicated it would like to develop a biomass project at Dimmer, but the information in the November document is no longer valid and it cannot confirm exactly what it wants to develop on the site.

Protesters have expressed concern about the project’s size and impact on roads.

Helen Cleaveland, chairman of Care4Cary, said: “I’m not surprised the talk was well-attended. The depth of local concern is immense.”

She disputed reports that Bronzeoak has made no official contact with either South Somerset District Council’s planning department or the Environment Agency on the plans.

She said: “Despite what they say, we know Bronzeoak took their 25MW proposal to South Somerset District Council planners in January, canvassing support. Bronzeoak’s own website until recently stated the company was planning a 25 MW power station at Dimmer.

“Its website still makes it clear the company would like to put up a power station on the land.

“Is it surprising people are suspicious that advanced plans will be foisted on them with only cosmetic consultation?”

A spokesman for Bronzeoak said: “We have always said we have had a preliminary meeting with planners at the district council. We have never denied that. We have spoken in an informal meeting.

“We have not made any formal application to the Environment Agency.”

Care4Cary was formed last month after a meeting of more than 100 residents from the Castle Cary area, in which they voted unanimously to set up a group to protect local interests in the face of the proposals.

For more information about the group, email care4cary@live.co.uk

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Friday, March 13, 2009, Blackmore Vale Magazine

RESIDENTS fighting plans for a large biomass power plant on the outskirts of Castle Cary are setting up a campaign committee.

An application to build a 25 megawatt energy plant at Dimmer has not yet been submitted to South Somerset District Council, but initial planning documents have sparked outrage in the local community.

They show that the plant’s chimney would stand 60 metres tall – taller than Wells Cathedral and almost twice the height of nearby Crown Pet Foods.

At Castle Cary Town Council’s annual parish meeting on Monday night, an unusually high number of residents turned out to express their fears about the proposal by Bronzeoak Thermal.

They revealed their intention to form a committee, which will meet on Monday 23 March at the Methodist Schoolroom in Castle Cary, at 7.30pm to discuss the best way to voice objections.

A website has also been set up against the plans at www.dimmeractiongroup.co.uk.

District and county councillor Henry Hobhouse, said: “I’m so angry about it. I feel very strongly. We have to stop this in its tracks.

“If you are going to build something like this it should be at the cemetery in Yeovil, where energy can actually be used by nearby trading estates.”

A combination of green and waste wood, energy crops, secondary recovered fuel and dried sewage sludge, will be processed by the plant. The electricity it produces would be capable of serving thousands of homes, enough to meet the needs of all the households of a town the size of Yeovil.

Cllr Hobhouse raised concern about the plant using treated materials and whether the chimneys would be equipped to handle the substances emitted.

Town Councillor Jim Hood said: “The temperature needs to be doubled in order to handle the toxins that will be emitted from the materials they are proposing to use.”

Local resident Dave Boyer said: “We are not going to be like a quiet backwater village anymore.”

Dimmer resident Ken Knight said: “In their proposal they are presenting themselves as one of the cleanest companies.”

The company’s reputation in the town was dented after residents complained about smells emitting from its former animal-carcass incinerator at Dimmer. It was shut down in 2006.

A spokesman at Bronzeoak said there was no further update on when the plans would be finalised but stressed it intended to communicate with the local community at that stage.

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Friday, March 13, 2009, Blackmore Vale Magazine

PEOPLE from Castle Cary are planning to fight back against plans to build a large energy plant on the outskirts of their town.

Although Bronzeoak Thermal have not yet submitted an application to build a biomass power plant on its site at Dimmer, residents and councillors are moving fast to round up troops in a bid to discuss the best way to object the plans.

The business claims a 25 megawatt generator would make a significant contribution towards the governments sustainable energy targets and create diversification opportunities for farmers.

But people from Castle Cary are not convinced.

At the town council’s annual general meeting residents filled the hall to raise their concerns. It was agreed there would be a public meeting held at the Methodist Schoolroom on Monday 23rd March at 7.30pm to form a committee and discuss the best plan of attack.

Wrong place

County and district councillor for the town, Henry Hobhouse, spoke out at the meeting on Monday and told the crowd of people how angry he was about the proposal. He said although it is the correct type of plant it is in completely the wrong place, and urged people to take action against it once plans were submitted.

Richard Lansdale asked Mr Hobhouse what the town could do to implement the action needed to stop the plant from being built.

He said: “We have already had a complete disaster in Castle Cary with regards to the pet food factory. It may not smell anymore, but it still looks the same and we don’t want another disastrous set of plans to be approved.

Mr Hobhouse said: “If you are going to build something like this, it should be at the cemetery in Yeovil where the energy and hot water will not all be wasted.

“A combination of individual letters and petitions is the best way to start objecting to the plans. We need to persuade Mendip District Council the roads are not capable of taking the lorries full of fuel this plant will require to keep it going.

“It is outrageous that a 25Mw biomass plant has been proposed outside such a small town when a proposed 6Mw pyrolysis plant in Wells, which has just been approved, will provide the whole town with sufficient electricity.”

Mr Hobhouse also said the company had a history of bad management since it built and ran the incinerator in 1998 to dispose of animal carcasses following the BSE crisis.

The incinerator was shut down in 2006 by the Environment Agency for breaching emissions regulations.

Ken Knight backed up Mr Hobhouse and said: “The incinerator led to seven years of upset for the community. Bronzeoak’s track record was atrocious and in the proposal they are presenting themselves as one of the cleanest companies. I am appalled at the lies.”

Another group that has formed to oppose the application, the Dimmer Action Group, informed people at the meeting they could sign a petition against the energy plant online at dimmeractiongroup.co.uk

A spokesman from Bronzeoak said plans were not finalised, but stressed that as and when they are, the community would be consulted.

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Published on Shepton Mallet Journal Website on Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Opposition is mounting to controversial plans to build a huge biomass power plant on the outskirts of Castle Cary.

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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Printed on Friday, March 06, 2009 in the Blackmore Vale Magazine

“PLANS to build a large energy plant on the outskirts of Castle Cary have enraged local councillors.

Bronzeoak Thermal wants to build a biomass power plant on its site in Dimmer.

The business claims a 25 megawatt generator would make a significant contribution towards the government’s sustainable energy targets and create diversification opportunities for farmers.

But local councillors aren’t convinced. Serious concerns have been raised about air pollution from the burner, the scale of the project and the extra traffic it would generate. Castle Cary Town Council, and Carymoor, Ansford and Lydford parish councils are preparing for a fight.

Representatives from the local councils met after finding out about the plans last week. They believe a 25Mw plant is far too big for Castle Cary.

With a 45-metre boiler unit and chimneys stretching up to around 60 metres, the plant would be bigger than Crown Pet Foods’ nearby factory, which measures-up at around 38 metres.

John Newton of Carymoor Parish Council described the proposed power plant as an “oversized monster”.

“We will fight this proposal all the way,” he said.

According to Mr Newton, there is no need for such a large-scale energy plant in the area. He explained that the proposed 6Mw pyrolysis plant in Haybridge would serve the 10,000 people living in Wells, and Castle Cary is already self-sufficient in energy for its 3,000 residents through the 4Mw output from landfill gas produced at Dimmer.

The incinerator would be fuelled by green wood, waste wood and even dried sewage sludge. Local farmers would be encouraged to grow and supply miscanthus and willow as energy crops.

The supply of fuel is one of the biggest concerns of local councils.

Operating 24-hours a day, seven days a week, a 25Mw plant would need 250,000 tonnes of fuel each year. This is expected to amount to 100 additional lorry movements per day.

Mr Newton explained that the local road network is already struggling to cope with the HGV traffic that takes 120,000 tonnes of waste to the neighbouring Dimmer landfill site every year. Deliveries to and from the power plant are expected to be made along the B3153 through the narrow village roads of Clanville and Alford – already noted as one of Somerset’s accident black spots.

“There are already times when it is virtually impossible to walk through the village because of the heavy traffic. There is terrible verge erosion and roadside properties are being damaged by vibration,” Mr Newton added.

“This proposal certainly isn’t green. All it would do is lead to a massive increase in HGV traffic thundering through local communities and increased carbon emissions.”

Worries have also been raised about air pollution caused by burning treated wood.

Castle Cary town councillor Jim Hood, who has a background in biochemistry, explained: “You get a lot of chemicals in waste wood, and burning it will produce dioxins. This plant would be running at around 400C, the only way to destroy dioxins is to heat to twice this temperature.”

Bronzeoak first built an incinerator on its Dimmer site in 1998 to dispose of animal carcasses following the BSE crisis. It was then used to dispose of waste from abattoirs until it was shut down by the Environment Agency in 2006 for breaching emissions regulations.

According to Bronzeoak, the biomass plant would be carbon neutral. Powered by an air-cooled steam turbine, it would supply electricity to the national grid. More than 25 jobs could be created on-site with as many as 100 through the fuel supply chain.

The company believes growing fuel crops for the plant would provide an alternative income for local farmers.

The project is at the scoping stage and a formal planning application has yet to be made. If approved, Bronzeoak believes the plant would take around 30 months to construct.

A spokesman for Bronzeoak said: “This is at a very early stage and nothing has been confirmed yet. We are conducting an internal review to establish exactly what we want to do and have had preliminary discussions with planners and councillors.

“We will work to mitigate the impact on the local area. Emissions are tightly controlled by statutory standards and are monitored continually and stringently.

“The community will be involved through consultation when appropriate.”

Henry Hobhouse, county and district councillor for Castle Cary, said he supports the principle of biomass energy production but he believes Bronzeoak’s proposal is wrong for the town. He said it should be sited where local industry could make use of heat gained through water-cooling and where fuel could be supplied via better road links.

“This is the right technology but it is in the wrong place and on the wrong scale. It should be on the edge of Yeovil or Bridgwater, close to a major road and close to industry where the heat and energy can be used locally.

“A one-megawatt unit dealing with 10,000 tonnnes of locally grown material and located close to the local industrial estate would be more appropriate.”

Local residents have formed Dimmer Action Group to oppose the application. Updates on their campaign, and a petition against the energy plant, can be seen at www.dimmeractiongroup.co.uk

Mathew Manning”

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Press Release from Carymoor Parish Council, issued also on behalf of Castle Cary Town Council and Ansford and Lydford Parish Councils:

Issued: 2 March 2009

Bronzeoak’s Proposed 25 megawatt Power Station at Castle Cary

Plans for the development of a gigantic power station, on the Western outskirts of Castle Cary left local Councillors reeling this week.  If approved, the massive power station would dominate the local skyline at a height of 200 feet.  In contrast, the pet food factory comes in at a ‘relatively modest’ 125 feet.

Although claimed to be ‘green’, the hungry power station would need feeding with 250,000 tonnes of fuel each year.  And nearly all of this would come in by HGV through local communities on roads already overburdened with traffic.

The development is proposed by Bronzeoak, which operated the notorious ‘mad cow’ incinerator at Dimmer.  Repeatedly threatened with closure by the Environment Agency for breaching emissions standards and causing noxious smells, it was finally shut down in 2006.

Speaking after news of this development first broke, John Newton of Carymoor Parish Council said:

“This is shocking!  How could Bronzeoak with its appalling track record locally suggest such a development here?  I’m all in favour of appropriately sized and sited renewable energy projects, but this oversized monster would be in completely the wrong place.  People local to Castle Cary have had enough of inappropriate industrial developments.  We will fight this proposal all the way.”

Bronzeoak’s ‘biomass’ power station would produce 25MW of electricity; enough to meet the daily needs of all the households in a town the size of Yeovil.  However, John Newton pointed out that the Castle Cary area is already self-sufficient in renewable electricity production.  4MW of renewable power is already being generated from landfill gas at Dimmer and other small renewable plants are being built locally.  “This proposal certainly isn’t ‘green’.  All it would do is lead to a massive increase in HGV traffic thundering through local communities, increased carbon emissions and transmission losses in feeding power to where it would actually be used,” he said.

- ENDS -

Editor’s Notes:

Key messages from Carymoor Parish Council plus Castle Cary Town Council and Ansford and Lydford Parish Councils on Bronzeoak’s proposals are that:

1. We support appropriately sized and sited renewable energy projects

2. This proposal for a 25 megawatt power station is not green:

- Will lead to massive increase in HGV traffic on already overburdened roads

- Will increase carbon emissions

- Castle Cary area is already self-sufficient in renewable electricity production

3. Bronzeoak have an appalling track record:

- Their previous development on this site had to be shut down

- Breached Environmental emissions standards

4. We will fight this proposal all the way.

5. Photo-montage comparing height of boilers and chimney stack of proposed power station with the Towers on the West Front of Wells Cathedral attached. NB Height of Towers on West Front of Wells Cathedral are the same as that of Pet Food Factory at Castle Cary (as per attached letter from Alder King, agents acting for Pet Food Factory).

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Printed on Friday, February 06, 2009 in the Shepton Mallet Journal

OBJECTORS have vowed to fight plans for a power plant in Castle Cary which they describe as an “oversized monster”.

Bronzeoak Thermal is proposing to build a biomass energy plant at Dimmer capable of generating electricity for thousands of local homes.

Although a formal application has not yet been submitted, initial planning documents indicate the chimney alone will be 60 metres high – taller than Wells Cathedral and almost twice the height of nearby Crown Pet Foods factory.

Castle Cary Town Council, Carymoor, Ansford, and Lydford parish councils are united in protest, claiming the plant is in the wrong place for its size and lorry deliveries would cause havoc on country roads.

John Newton of Carymoor Parish Council said: “This is shocking. I’m all in favour of appropriately sized and sited renewable energy projects, but this oversized monster would be in completely the wrong place. People local to Castle Cary have had enough of inappropriate industrial developments. We will fight this proposal all the way.”
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Bronzeoak operated an animal-carcass incinerator at Dimmer but it was shut down in 2006 after local residents complained about smells.

Documents drawn up by the company in November, which the Western Gazette has seen, reveal that it plans to fuel the energy plant with a combination of green and waste wood, energy crops, secondary recovered fuel and dried sewage sludge.

They show that the plant would produce 25MW of electricity, enough to meet the daily needs of all the households in a town the size of Yeovil. It would need 250,000 tonnes of fuel a year. Objectors fear the deliveries of the material will have a severe impact on local roads.

The company says it would use energy crops likely to create work for local farmers on a long-term basis, and whatever the size of the plant, 27 staff would be directly employed with roughly the same amount employed for delivering fuel to the site.

But prospects of employment have not won over county and district councillor Henry Hobhouse.

He said: “The size is ludicrous for the landscape. It might be right for a bigger town but not next to Castle Cary.”

Town councillor for Castle Cary Jim Hood said the plant would not be properly equipped to handle chemicals called dioxins which could be emitted from the waste.

Cllr Newton said the Castle Cary area was already self-sufficient, with 4MW of renewable power generated from landfill gas at Dimmer, plus other small renewable energy plants in the making locally.

“This proposal certainly isn’t ‘green’. All it would do is lead to a massive increase in HGV traffic thundering through local communities, increased carbon emissions and transmission losses in feeding power to where it would actually be used,” he said.

Chairman of Castle Cary Town Council Nick Weeks said: “We feel that with all the lessons we have learned with Crown Pet Foods, there needs to be a lot more liaison with the local communities before anything is carried out.”

Chairman of Ansford Parish Council Janette Cronie said the main concern was the impact of traffic and the fact Ansford would be downwind of any potential odorous emissions.

A spokesman for Bronze- oak confirmed the company, which has owned the site for ten years, has plans to develop it. But he stressed that it was constantly reviewing what size it could be and other elements before final decisions are made.

“We are in very early stages in considering our options for the site, and in terms of size we are not in a position to say for definite. But we are keen to have the community involved in the project, in order to minimise the impact on the local community. We are one of the leading developers of renewable projects and our interest in the UK is for renewable power.”

A spokeswoman for the district council said it had not received a planning application for a bio energy plant.

“However, should an application of this type come in, as with any planning applications we would ensure the community is able to comment and all planning applications are considered on their own merits,” she said.

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