Staffordshire greenbelt energy plant gets go-ahead
A controversial energy plant will be built on greenbelt land near Rugeley after the Government gave it the final stamp of approval.
Work can now start on the anaerobic digester, which will feature two fermenter tanks up to 44ft high, in Lichfield Road.
The long-running dispute over the proposal was brought to an end by the Department for Community and Local Government this week.
It had been referred to the Government despite Stafford Borough Council approving the proposal in October.
The plant will process agricultural crop, generating enough power to heat more than 40,000 homes a year.
Today, applicant Peter Till said: "I have been trying to get it passed for probably the last two and half to three years.
"I am grateful the secretary of state has seen sense and approved it. We had got a contractor who wanted to start on it, which we had to cancel.
"We will leave it until the new year now and hopefully we can get started within the next 12 months. The setback shouldn't have done us any long-term damage."
The digester will be next to Severn Trent Water's treatment works.
It is estimated that it will generate enough power to heat 2,500 homes during winter and 40,000 in summer. It will also make fertiliser.
Mr Till said it would create four permanent jobs, up to 12 roles during harvesting season and a further 50 jobs during construction.
The council had thrown out an earlier application prompting Mr Till to submit revised plans, which reduced the height of
the development's main feature – two fermenter tanks – from 46ft and 39ft to 44ft and 26ft.
Planning officers still recommended that the proposal be refused stating it would cause visual harm to the surroundings and set a dangerous precedent permitting building on the greenbelt.
But councillors on the planning committee disagreed and approved the scheme arguing there were 'very special circumstances' referring to the benefits of the plant.
Following the latest twist a borough council spokesman said the authority had been 'legally obliged' to refer the plans to the secretary of state due to the size of the proposed development but confirmed they had been notified that the DCLG had chosen 'not to intervene'.
