Controversial plans for a huge biogas plant in Keynsham rejected by the local council could be the given the go ahead by the government's planning inspectorate. In March 2022, Bath and North East Somerset Council turned down plans from Resourceful Energy Anaerobic Limited to build a 92,000 tonne anaerobic digester facility on green belt land off Charlton Road.
The plant would be capable of processing 92,000 tonnes of food waste and crops a year, and would produce biogas that can be used to generate electricity for the local community, or exported as a renewably sourced gas. But the council raised concerns that the renewable energy scheme at the 11-hectare former Queen Charlton Quarry could increase carbon dioxide emissions and send dozens of HGVs onto unsuitable roads every day, risking head-on collisions.
But REAL have submitted an appeal to the planning inspectorate and a public inquiry will begin on October 11, 2022, which could see the plans approved. The initial plans were met with 847 objections and just 10 letters of support, while campaign group Protect Our Keynsham Environment has warned that the scheme could permanently alter the green belt landscape, create noise and smell and potentially harm residents’ health.
Read more: Keynsham biogas plant tipped for refusal
Graham Morris and Jon Hucker, who represent the Stockwood ward at Bristol City Council, have also said they have "serious concerns" about the proposals. In a statement posted on Facebook on August 8, they said that the plans could create a "huge increase" in the amount of HGV traffic along the A37 Wells Road, because the plans require that plan requires that all HGVs travelling to and from the site go via Charlton Road/Woollard Lane, to the junction with the A37.
Their statement also raised concerns about the environmental impact on South Bristol residents. "We are concerned that air pollution from the digester plant could be impact on Stockwood Ward. In addition, we are concerned about emissions of bioaerosols, which are micro-organisms made up of organic dust, fungal spores and bacteria which can seriously damage human and animal health," it said.
REAL have claimed that the scheme would save more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 every year, although planning officers for BANES have pointed out that the 81,000 tonnes of CO2 which would be emitted during the plant's construction would take 24 years to offset. Officers also said that, although the plant would contribute two per cent to the council’s renewable energy target, the proposal would "not save more emissions from renewable energy generation than it creates from its annual operation alone”.
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