PLANS to create a new anaerobic digestor near Shaftesbury have received mixed reactions, with the town council one of many objecting to the proposal.
1st Estate Biomethane Ltd have submitted plans to build and operate a biogas facility on land at Wessex Farm, Sherborne Causeway, which they say will digest biomass, by-product feedstocks and organic agricultural waste.
Anaerobic digestors are sealed tanks that use microorganisms to bread down organic waste to create biogas – a renewable fuel.
The applicant says the facility would generate up to 9.9 million cubic metres of biomethane annually, equivalent to the gas demand of around 8,500 homes and support local farms by providing a sustainable outlet for organic agricultural wastes and producing a nutrient-rich digestate to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilisers.
But the proposed facility has been described as a potential “disaster for residents and wildlife living in the Blackmore Vale”.
One neighbour who has lived in the area for the past 60 years, D Hopkins, said the area is a haven for wildlife and highly populated by bats, owls and newts.
Another neighbour, Michael Barclay, said the community is not happy with “our beautiful country being morphed into something akin to the desolation of Mordor”.
He said: “My specific objections to this application are based on the impact of the facility on the views North-West from Shaftesbury on Castle hill.
“The views from our town are intrinsically linked to its success, character, and future. While here may be many objections to this proposal, in matters of detail, the centre of the matter is the continued degradation of our countryside into an industrial wasteland.
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“At some point – this may be it – or if not this, then in combination with the proposed industrial estate north of Enmore green you will face a reckoning.”
He added: “We may have flares, odious emissions, an increase in unpleasant HGV loads. For all of this material degradation of our quality of life and countryside the people of Shaftesbury get nothing.
“Do not take the tax payers of Dorset’s consent for granted. If this makes our lives worse, we will close it down. We are being pushed too far.”
Concerns have also been raised over the potential impact on the busy A30, but the plans state the proposal would generate an insignificant volume of additional traffic.
Shaftesbury Town Council objected to the plans at a meeting of its planning and highways committee on October 7, raising issue that it was not consulted on earlier in the process.
The council also raised concerns that a noise impact assessment was not carried out by the applicant, with fears residents on the northern slopes of the town would be most affected.
They also raised issue with the lack of information about the volume of HGV traffic that could be generated, as well as little consideration to the possible impact of odour from the proposed plant.
Motcombe Parish Council echoed these concerns in its formal objection to the plans. This comes after around 55 residents attended a meeting to express their concern that they weren’t informed earlier in the process.
Residents launched a petition against the plans, and the parish council has requested an extension to the response time to the application.
One commenter said: “I am very disappointed that those directly affected by this application have not been contacted. I think that any renewable energy source should be applauded.
“However, I strongly object to this proposal as it will have a huge impact on the natural beauty of the area, a lot of which falls under the banner of a conservation area, will increase road traffic, noise levels and create terrible odours, and be a horrendous blot on the landscape.”
Councillor Valerie Pothecary (Gillingham/Conservatives) has requested that the plans should be brought to the Northern Planning Committee for discussion.
The company behind the plans said: “The selected location is adjacent to gas grid infrastructure, close to sources of agricultural feedstocks and waste as well as being distanced from human receptors and various ecological, heritage, landscape and other potential environmental sensitivities.”
To view and comment on the plans, visit the planning section of Dorset Council’s website and search reference P/FUL/2025/04692.
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