Food waste biogas energy plant approved
Food waste biogas energy plant approved
Jamie Waller - Local Democracy Reporting ServiceTue, May 12, 2026 at 8:05 AM UTC
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The development was approved at a Lincolnshire County Council planning meeting
A plant near Spalding that will turn food waste into gas has been approved.
The site on Surfleet Bank would process 100,000 tonnes of waste a year using anaerobic digestion and would prevent the release of 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, its developer claimed.
Gas would be used to generate electricity and it would also produce liquid carbon dioxide and fertiliser for local farmers.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the development was granted planning permission by Lincolnshire County Council, despite some councillors expressing concerns over its commercial viability.
George Kelly, speaking at the planning meeting on behalf of the developer Naylors Farms, said the facility was "well-suited given Spalding's nearby food industry".
"Rather than competing with farming, it will work alongside and support it," he said.
He added that the anaerobic digestion technology "was not novel or complex, it is tried and tested".
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Councillor Tom Sneath told the meeting: "This will stop waste going further afield, and will enable us to produce our own fertiliser without having to import it. It brings it closer to farms where it's needed."
However, several committee members expressed concerns that the building could be left empty if the business fails, with others commenting on the size of the development, according to the LDRS.
Councillor Raymond Whitaker said: "If something better than anaerobic digestion comes along in 15 years, these could become a wreck, an eyesore in the countryside."
In response, the business owners said there was strong demand for anaerobic digestion and they did not believe this would happen.
Councillor Martin Hill, who voted against the plan, said: "This is a flat landscape. It will be visible for miles."
Council officers said a precedent had already been set that anaerobic digestion facilities were acceptable in the Lincolnshire countryside, meaning it could not be blocked on those grounds.
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Related internet links -
Lincolnshire County Council
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Source: “AOL Money”
