Massive energy plant could be built on edge of Cambridgeshire village

New access to the site could also be created via a major A-road

A large renewable energy plant could be built on the edge of a Cambridgeshire village. Pretoria Energy is proposing to build an agricultural by-product anaerobic digestion (AD) plant on land west of Snoots Bridge, Cambridge Road in Stretham.

The plant is proposed to take up around 22.7 hectares of land which is currently used as arable land. If approved, the site will be used to “produce biogas from the anaerobic digesters” and “produce renewable energy”.

The planning documents said: The proposed energy plant would provide a source of energy for use by the applicant, businesses within the vicinity, and National Grid network.

“The applicant envisages the feedstock for this particular AD plant could be from a mixture of chicken/poultry litter, straw and liquid food blend. The liquid food blend is envisaged to be a mixture of commercial food waste, rejected agricultural food (not fit for animal/human consumption) and waste from processing agricultural food (e.g liquid/solid waste from washing of carrots/peas).”

The main intake and output building for the plan is proposed to stretch over 6,000sqm. This is proposed to be connected to two separator buildings. On site, there will also be 12 digestor tanks, six post-digester tanks, two offices, a vehicle maintenance workshop and more.

The applicants acknowledge that the development will “constitute a degree of change in relation to the character of the site and its immediate setting”. However, it says any “adverse affects” that could arise from the plans will be localised and confined to the site.

New access to the site could also be created along the busy A10 road. The existing road to the site is accessed through an informal farm track with a small junction to Old Cambridge Road from the A10.

The plans propose a new access point further north of the existing entrance via the A10 to “be more suited for plant traffic”. The working day on the site is proposed to be 8am until 6pm daily.

The site is expected to generate 170 HGV vehicle movements over the course of a working day. An additional 40 vehicle movements are proposed to be generated by staff per day.

The applicant said this would result in an increase of 19 vehicle movements in the morning and evening during peak hours. The documents said: “The proposal is not expected to engender a perceptible negative impact upon the local highway network and therefore the proposals should not be refused on transport or highway grounds.”

Pretoria runs other plants in Cambridgeshire, including one in Chittering. This new plant would support the current site in Chittering to “support the UK’s drive to achieve net zero greenhouse emissions”.