Concerns as food waste plant to be built near homes

A £25m anaerobic digestion plant has been approved despite concerns it would make the area "the compost bin for the south-west" of England.

The facility, on the outskirts of Royal Wootton Bassett, will process household food waste, and will be key to Wiltshire Council's delayed food waste collection which is due to start next year.

Developer Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd said the site will process 75,000 tonnes of food waste a year to create biogas, a type of renewable gaseous fuel.

But councillor Elizabeth Threlfall fears the area could become "the compost bin for the south-west" and said residents living close by have concerns about odours from the site.

Work to begin building the nearly seven-hectare (17 acres) site at Park Grounds Farm is expected to begin in the new year. It will be built next to an existing landfill operation near Brinkworth Road.

Mike Eborne, technical development director at Eco Sustainable Solutions, said the site will offer a "vital sustainable solution for Wiltshire's upcoming food waste collections".

The plant will process household food by removing contaminants before breaking down microorganisms which then creates a biomethane gas that can be fed into the network.

The leftover material is nutrient rich and can be used as a fertiliser for farmers' fields, Eborne added.

Councillor Threlfall said: "My residents have lived with sulphurous smells from the landfill site for a long time and are worried this will exacerbate the problem."

Threlfall said some people were "deeply anxious" about the site, but that "encouraging steps" have been taken to minimise disruption.

On the issue of potential bad smells, Eborne said: "They shouldn't really smell it... everything is sealed and there's an odour treatment at the back end".

The facility will run around the clock, although deliveries will be limited to 07:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and 07:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays.