Fiercely opposed proposal for anaerobic digestion plant in Withersfield, near Haverhill, enters new round of public consultation
A new period of public consultation for a contentious proposal to build an anaerobic digestion plant on the edge of Haverhill has started.
The proposal by Acorn Bioenergy to build the biogas facility on 31 acres of land at Spring Grove Farm, in Withersfield, first became widely known to the public in September 2022, with a planning application submitted to Suffolk County Council (SCC) in June 2023.
The initial consultation period ran out in October 2023, but since then the applicant has been asked to provide further details in support of the plans addressing concerns, among them the flood risks, the impact on the watercourse and wildlife and their habitat and air quality.
The responses to the questions took over a year to arrive and now they have, the county council has said a new round of consultation will run until March 3.
The application attracted nearly 800 individual objections from residents, business owners, councillors and councils after it was submitted.
The facility would generate biogas from crops and farming waste, including slurry and poultry litter, which is transported in on HGVs and upgraded on site into biomethane, before being removed by tanker to a central facility for injection into the national grid and to produce fertiliser.
Objections have been made on many fronts, including possible odours from the plant, the effect on residents and businesses, the impact on the flood plain next to it, as well as the detrimental effects on the nearby road network of more HGV movements.
Cllr Indy Wijenayaka, West Suffolk Council portfolio holder for growth, Withersfield parish councillor and a spokesman for Muck Off Acorn, the campaign group set up to fight the plans, said: “The applicant has answered the questions but fundamentally it doesn’t change the objections that we have.
“From a district councillor’s point of view I still think it’s the wrong thing to do.
“It’s going to have a detrimental impact on residents living in the area and on businesses and on any future plans for growth around there.
“The location for it is fundamentally wrong, both from an economic point of view and from a residents point of view.”
Muck off Acorn will be holding a public meeting to discuss the application at The EpiCentre on February 13 at 7pm.