Company responds to concerns about biogas plant proposals near Anwick

Stream BioEnergy is bringing forward a proposal to develop a renewable biogas plant on land to the west of Anwick village, near to Moy Park poultry processing factory.

The proposed scheme will take a range of waste streams, but primarily poultry waste from Moy Park’s sites converting it as a raw material to biogas energy and a range of other by-products.

A number of Anwick residents are already expressing their concerns about the impact on the village claiming there would be greater industrialisation, possible pollution, explosions very close to a residential area and increased traffic hazards as chicken manure would be brought from Moy Park sites across the East Midlands.

​Resident Julie Dixon, who lives close to the site claimed house prices are already falling and they are petitioning villagers against the proposal. She took villagers on a tour around the site on May 12 explaining her concerns.

She has created Anwick Action Group with fellow campaigner Jayne Bond.

But Stream BioEnergy says anaerobic digestion is a naturally occurring process that harnesses energy which would otherwise go to waste.

They said in a statement that this not only prevents harm to the environment but also generates energy which can be fed directly into the National Gas Grid as a replacement for fossil fuels. “The proposed plant will be designed and operated in accordance with best industry technologies and practices and will be highly regulated by the relevant authorities.”

David Mullan, Development Manager at Stream BioEnergy, said: “We are pleased to be bringing forward this proposal in Lincolnshire and look forward to engaging with the council and the community through our pre-application consultation activities. These discussions will allow us to fully consider any feedback ahead of submitting a planning application to Lincolnshire County Council.”

The county council would ultimately decide whether to give the go ahead to the planned plant, although North Kesteven District Council is a consultee and was due to hear an outline of the project from Stream Bioenergy representatives at a pre-application meeting on May 14, but this was postponed to allow the developer more time to consult with the community.

The developer pointed out that North Kesteven District Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan 2023-24 supports renewable energy generation opportunities across the district. “The proposed biogas plant would use anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to generate renewable energy from poultry litter and other organic waste from the surrounding area.”