GP Planning Ltd is delighted to have successfully gained planning permission for two renewable energy facilities at Pebble Hall near Theddingworth in Northamptonshire. Combined, the two facilities will produce 14MW of electricity and will represent a £47 million capital investment. The developments are a successful form of farm diversification at Pebble Hall, which has its roots in beef farming
Renewable Energy Generation Facility (REGF)
The REGF development has been brought forward by Carbonarius and has the backing of Balfour Beatty. It consists of a biomass facility treating 72,000 tonnes of wood waste per annum in order to generate 10MW of renewable electricity, which is enough to supply all of the homes in Corby! Renewable heat will also be available.
The REGF will be housed within a new building which will be 18 meters in height, with a 30 meter stack. It will benefit from the screening of the existing embankment and the surrounding land will be re-contoured to screen the facility further. In addition, 4 acres of additional woodland will be planted.
The planning application, which was EIA development, was prepared and carefully managed by GP Planning Ltd. Northamptonshire County Council raised significant concerns about the scale of the facility and its location in the rural hinterlands. Despite this, the project team was able to sway the decision to a favorable result at committee, due to the scheme’s significant sustainability benefits.
Thermophilic Aerobic Digester (TAD)
The development has been a joint venture between Welland Waste Management and Advanced Organics. The TAD Facility will treat 36,000 tonnes of oil rich food waste per annum and will produce 4MW of electricity, renewable heat and fertilizer pellets.
The TAD is a new form of technology which is very similar to Anaerobic Digestion, but is much more efficient. It recovers 3 times more energy and returns 60% more carbon back to the soil than comparable anaerobic digestion plants. The facility will be housed within an existing building on the site and will continue to look just like other modern farm buildings, but with a small stack.
GP Planning has worked closely with various stakeholders to guide the two applications through the planning system, despite substantial public opposition. We wish both developers the best of luck in implementing their two planning permissions and we will continue to work hard to secure the various permitting requirements.
