Compost plant ‘will need strict controls’

Birch villagers are fighting plans for the plant, on Birch Airfield, which would be capable of handling 25,000 tonnes of food waste a year from the Colchester.

Birch Airfield Composting Services’ plant would turn kitchen scraps into garden compost and generate electricity from gases given off by the process.

Opponents say the proposed building is too big and would dominate the surrounding area and generate bad smells.

They also claim lorries delivering waste to be processed would ruin surrounding country roads and allowing the plant would encourage more industry in the countryside.

The company has a smaller composting plant on the 14.3-acre site, off Blind Lane.

In a report, Colchester Council environmental control officers accept the new plant’s impact would need to be carefully controlled.

The report says: “We are aware this application has the potential to affect residents through increased vehicle movements, noise, odour, dust, flies/pests and illumination, if not adequately controlled.”

The report suggests before permission can be granted, the owners would have to explain exactly how they planned to deal with all these potential problems.

However, officials feel fears about the extra traffic are ill-founded, since the plant would involve just six extra vehicle movements a day.

Farmers Jim and Katie Stathern, who run Birch Airfield Composting Services, have said the composting would take place in a sealed building with carefully-monitored air movement, designed to minimise smells and dust and contain waste which might attract insects, birds or vermin.

The plant would process kitchen scraps by anaerobic digestion, a form of dry fermentation, and produce fertiliser which could be sold to farms and horticultural industries.

The owners have also stated they have no plans for any further development of the site.

Essex County Council has the final say about the application to build the plant.