Residents ready for planning battle with Plaistow farm

Villagers fighting plans to build an energy production plant at Plaistow’s Crouchland Farm have stepped up their campaign ahead of a council planning meeting.
Residents protesting outside Crouchlands Biogas Ltd in Plaistow. They are against expansion of the farm -  picture submitted SUS-140210-162931001Residents protesting outside Crouchlands Biogas Ltd in Plaistow. They are against expansion of the farm -  picture submitted SUS-140210-162931001
Residents protesting outside Crouchlands Biogas Ltd in Plaistow. They are against expansion of the farm - picture submitted SUS-140210-162931001

Crouchland Biogas’ retrospective planning application for equipment which turns farm waste in to renewable gas for fuel, is recommended for approval by the West Sussex County Council planning committee next Tuesday (March 3).

One of the main concerns of residents and councillors representing the area is the impact on the highways.

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Their most recent bid to get the application refused is a video showing HGVs on the narrow country lanes negotiating horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians as well as struggling at tight corners.

Aerial photo of Crouchlands Biogas in Rickmans Lane, Plaistow - picture submitted SUS-140210-162920001Aerial photo of Crouchlands Biogas in Rickmans Lane, Plaistow - picture submitted SUS-140210-162920001
Aerial photo of Crouchlands Biogas in Rickmans Lane, Plaistow - picture submitted SUS-140210-162920001

The plans are an extension of a scheme permitted by Chichester District Council (CDC) some years ago to power the farm.

WSCC officers have recommended councillors approve the plans next week because this permission did not limit the site’s use - something disputed by legal advisors to the parish councils.

Chairman of Plaistow and Ifold Parish Council Sara Burrell said: “The parish council is extremely disappointed that WSCC recommendation to committee has not significantly altered from the end of January.

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“We have a legal opinion from one of the country’s leading QCs on planning matters which confirms that the original planning consents granted by CDC were for an on-farm operation ancillary to the farm and this view is supported by CDC.”

Leon Mekitarian, managing director at Crouchland Biogas Limited SUS-151202-135919001Leon Mekitarian, managing director at Crouchland Biogas Limited SUS-151202-135919001
Leon Mekitarian, managing director at Crouchland Biogas Limited SUS-151202-135919001

She added: “If this scheme is granted consent, next week, it will have far reaching implications not only for our parish and our community but for any parish within 15km of Plaistow and will result in thousands of twelve wheel 30 ton HGV driving down country lanes delivering digestate or trucking in maize, silage and wheat, year in year out.

“This is the wrong scheme in the wrong place and that is why the only reasonable course of action by our county councillors is to refuse consent on Tuesday.”

WSCC officers have included a condition restricting lorry movements to 34 on weekdays, 17 on Saturdays and none on Sunday and bank Holidays.

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If permission is granted, HGV traffic would only be able to enter or leave the site between 7am and 6pm on weekdays and 7am and 1pm on Saturdays. The only exception would be vehicles transporting biomethane, which shall have an extension to 6pm on Saturdays.

Crouchlands Farm, Plaistow SUS-151202-135930001Crouchlands Farm, Plaistow SUS-151202-135930001
Crouchlands Farm, Plaistow SUS-151202-135930001

Defending the farm’s plans last week, managing director of Crouchland Biogas Leon Mekatarian said: “The highways experts have looked at the local roads and our farm and have decided they can support the traffic we need to operate.

“Our application will ensure vehicle movements to and from the farm are controlled, it will limit the amount of traffic on the roads that we, and the community, want to minimise. We have recognised the HGVs we use are of local concern so we have mitigated their impact in this application with mandatory speed controls and legal routing arrangements and local road improvements.

“HGVs are driven with care by our own employees, who also live locally, and carry 50 per cent more payload than the tractor trailer alternatives, reducing the number of vehicle movements significantly.”

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He believes the farm benefitted the community contrary to opinion from residents.

Leon Mekitarian, managing director at Crouchland Biogas Limited SUS-151202-141841001Leon Mekitarian, managing director at Crouchland Biogas Limited SUS-151202-141841001
Leon Mekitarian, managing director at Crouchland Biogas Limited SUS-151202-141841001

He said: “Every single biogas plant in the country gets objections and we are no exception.

“There has been a farm on this site for over 250 years, over that time the community has changed significantly, but this farm has continued to be a working farm, at the heart of the community.”