Nearly 100 objections lodged against dairy giant’s Scots manure processessing plant

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Almost 100 objections have been lodged to a major dairy firm’s plans to create a biogas plant near Kippen which could be decided next week.

Graham’s the Family Dairy (Property) Ltd has submitted an application to Stirling Council seeking permission to install an anaerobic digester - which would turn cow manure and dairy bi-products into biomethane - on land 255 metres north east of Mains of Boquhan.

Council planners are recommending conditional approval of the application for the site, which extends to 1.9 hectares and lies north of the A811 on open Carseland.However, it has been referred to the authority’s planning panel for councillors to decide, given the level of objection.In a report due before Tuesday’s panel, council planners said the proposal was part of Graham’s plans to “decarbonise the business”.Initially SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) submitted a holding objection saying they required more information on potential odour nuisance and feedstock handling and storage, however they have since withdrawn this.A total of 103 letters of comment were received - one in support, five not indicating either objection or support, and 97 objecting.

Included in the objections were Kippen and Gargunnock Community Councils.Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area.Concerns cited included pollutants reaching local watercourses, public health risk, odours, explosive hazard, inappropriate rural location, light pollution from digester flares, potential for increasing industrialisation of the Carse and over-inflation by the applicant of the environmental benefits.The objectors also claimed the site had been chosen since the applicant’s plans for a site at Cowdenbeath had been rejected with over 300