Concern over food waste plant near police HQ
BBCPolice and fire chiefs have raised serious concerns about plans for a new anaerobic digestion plant in Worcestershire.
Plans for the plant have been earmarked for land at Court Farm in Hindlip, near the West Mercia Police and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) headquarters.
The proposed Anaerobic Digestion Biomethane Plant (ADBP) would process around 48,500 tonnes of food waste each year, converting it into biogas.
The force has voiced concerns about the potential impact of reduced air quality on forensic operations and dog training units, while additional traffic could obstruct responding officers.
Representing the services, planning and development consultancy Lichfields said: "Forensic evidence cannot be contaminated by airborne particulate matter.
"Contaminated evidence could be inadmissible and discredited in the defence of suspects at court."
West Mercia Police have also explained dog training units could also be impacted as a drop in air quality could interfere with the dogs' ability to track scent.
The force said this could affect their training and compliance with national standards.
It also claimed that officers' ability to use Hindlip Lane, a route used daily to reach the main road, could be obstructed by traffic related to the plant.
A spokesperson for the police said: "Any obstruction to this access which could delay operational response vehicles going to firearms incidents could seriously impact upon the force's operational response time and potentially lead to a loss of life in the event that officers are unable to respond quickly enough to an incident."
Bosses also said noise from the plant and heavy goods vehicle movements could disturb classroom-based training at the nearby Jacky Smith Training Centre, if staff are required to open windows for ventilation.
The proposal includes the demolition of two buildings and the conversion of existing structures for office and control room use.
Stenergy, the applicant, submitted revised plans for the plant in October 2025 and said it would produce and inject "green" gas into Cadent Gas's local transmission system for use in the heating of homes and business in and around Worcester, and potentially to run vehicles.
A public consultation on the plans took place earlier this year and the scheme is set to be decided by Worcestershire County Council's planning committee.
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.
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