Ludlow biochar plant approved

Members of Shropshire Council’s Southern Planning Committee unanimously voted through the scheme at a meeting on Tuesday (March 25).

The authority is behind the idea, which will see a former anaerobic digester at Ludlow's Coder Road Business Park – which used bacteria to break down waste – turned into a unit producing the biochar.

The proposal is part of a £2m investment the council is putting into locally-manufactured biochar-producing plants.

Biochar is created through a process called pyrolysis, where biomass is heated in a low-oxygen environment, preventing it from burning completely.

It will be created from imported green waste, wood, and compost oversize materials.

Ludlow Town Council objected to the scheme, with Councillor Stuart Waite telling the commitee that the business model suggests there will be insufficent feedstock available locally.

“This will not only need to be purchased but transported from outside the county,” said Councillor Waite.

However, Tony Higgins, from EnviroConsult, which is working alongside the council on the scheme, said "there are loads of material available".

“We’ve got a number of sources of material within the Shropshire estate itself, from the schools and parks and other materials that generate low-grade biomass that we need to dispose of,” said Mr Higgins.

“We’ve also got other organisations who will supply us with the right materials to pyrolise, in the event we need it.

“To deal with the air quality, which seems to be the other aspect of concern, the models that were produced were based on the maximum possible emissions required by the permit application. In reality, the emissions will be much lower than that.”

Councillor Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North, said he was ‘somewhat surprised’ by Councillor Waite’s comments saying the people of Ludlow don’t support the plan.

“In fact, opinion is split,” said Councillor Boddington.

“A lot of my neighbours support it, and we live very close to it [the site].

“The town council’s written objection says sulphur dioxide will smell at the levels it’s at. Well, as we’ve heard, these are the maximum likely concentrations of emissions.

“In Parys Road, the prediction is it will be 20 micrograms per cubic metre of sulphur dioxide at the maximum. The human nose cannot smell sulphur dioxide below 300mcg per cubmic metre. So, I don’t think there will be any issues of smell.

“This is right beside the A49, which is elevated above the plant. The stuff coming out of tyres, brakepads and exhausts will be a lot more than will ever come out of this.”