Biomass plant on 14-acre site at Gonerby Moor is given approval

Plans have been approved for a large energy plant to be built near Grantham which will power thousands of homes using manure.

Lincolnshire County Council gave the green light on Monday to the scheme, which faced objections over concerns that the building would be a blot on the landscape, the increased HGV traffic in the area and fears that smells from it could spoil the quality of life of nearby residents.

But members of the planning and regulation committee backed the plans, which will see two digester tanks, a post digestate tank, a storage lagoon and gas storage tanks built on a 14-acre site to the east of the A1 at Gonerby Moor.

Plans submitted by applicants Moor Bio-Energy Ltd state that biogas and bio fertiliser will be produced from around 55,000 tonnes of farm waste - manure and slurries - and crops, such as maize or rye.

The waste will be brought in from farms within a 10-mile radius and the bio-fertiliser produced will be made available to these local farms.

Some of the gas produced at the plant will be used to help power it but the remainder will go into the National Grid, supplying up to 2,200 homes.

Parish councillors at Great Gonerby and Marston had raised objections against it on the grounds it would spoil the quality of life of residents.