Agenda item

To determine the application.

Gavin Taylor presented the report.

Members received a written representation, in accordance with the public participation procedure, read out by Member Services on behalf of Tony Gent, a supporter. Mr Gent stated that he had farmed this land for his whole life, and this includes the 2000-acre farm of which the AgriGrub site is a small part, with over his lifetime he has seen how farming has had to change, and it is now farmed completely regeneratively. He added that a key part of this is sustainable energy and heating, as fossil fuels cannot be continued to be used, with the biomass system at AgriGrub being renewable and makes use of sustainably managed timber from around the farm.

Mr Gent stated that the installation is a significant distance from any other property, and he has never witnessed any smell which might cause an issue to local residents.

Members received a presentation, in accordance with the public participation procedure, from Joe Halstead, the applicant. Mr Halstead explained that he started his company AgriGrub with the express goal of helping the environment and the last thing he would want to do is to pollute or cause any kind of nuisance to anyone nearby, with him taking all the necessary steps to ensure this. He explained that in 2022 he saw his energy bills triple almost overnight due to the fluctuating cost of energy and, therefore, he turned to a biomass boiler as the only renewable and cost-effective heating option available to keep his animals warm.

Mr Halstead stated that at the time he was assured by multiple sources that the biomass boiler did not need planning permission and, therefore, he did not apply, however it now appears that these sources were mistaken. He added that he is now aware that biomass boilers such as this do require planning permission if they are within 400 metres of a dwelling, however, the Council has granted planning permission to several other very similar biomass boilers including one only 25 metres from a dwelling and all without incident.

Mr Halstead advised the committee that AgriGrub has a licence to operate from the Council which is entirely contingent on the control of odour omitted from his site. He added as a result of complaints from neighbours due to a smell of smoke, the Council’s Environmental Health Team carried out extensive monitoring on the site and only on one occasion could the officers smell anything at all and the officer stated that other than a very faint quite pleasant burning wood smell they did not witness any odours or smoke.

Mr Halstead explained that the biomass boiler does produce some smoke especially when it is first lit and is just getting going but this clears rapidly and he added that this is the issue that the complainants have, that occasionally outside of their property for a short period of time they can smell a very faint smoke smell and that is all that can be evidenced. He added that in order to monitor this he set up a dedicated complaints email address for neighbours to report any issues with complaints being received on average, every 33 days with the most recent complaint being received in August 24 and no complaints received since.

Mr Halstead explained that all of the complaints have been as a result of one property, Pecks Farm, which is also where 7 out of the 9 public comments on the Public Access system were made from and before the biomass boiler was even installed the residents of this property were outraged that he would site his business on the farm within 300 metres of their property. He expressed the opinion that he believes the residents have become extremely sensitised to any occasional slight smoke smell and their behaviour as a result of the sensitization has made him feel extremely unsafe and has not been a pleasant experience due to the worry for the safety of his staff.

Mr Halstead expressed the opinion that the comments made on Public Access are filled with falsehoods which include a serious allegation that the biomass boiler is used to burn general waste, something which would be illegal and completely pointless seeing as he has a 2000 litre general waste bin on site supplied by the Council. He made the point that waste in general makes for a horrible fuel and apart from some recycled cardboard or the odd broken pallet, waste is not used in the biomass boiler.

Mr Halstead expressed the view that of the 3 complainants, 2 have log burners, including multiple wood stoves at Pecks Farm and all 3 complainants regularly burn garden and building waste in their gardens. He stated that the Council has a robust system in place for monitoring and acting on any potential nuisance and by not granting planning permission would contradict the work undertaken by Planning and Environmental Health Officers who both support the granting of the application.

Mr Halstead added that if the committee wish to add conditions to any planning approval such as not to cause a nuisance, he will welcome that as he added he can state with compete certainty that the biomass boiler does not cause a nuisance to any nearby properties.

Members asked the following questions:

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough stated that she was under the impression that the farm was arable, however, in the presentation Mr Halstead had made reference to the fact that the boiler assisted in keeping animals warm and she asked for clarification. Mr Halstead stated that the majority of the 2000 acre farm is arable but his business specifically grows insects and was the first to do so in the United Kingdom. He added that the are grown on site using food surplus and in turn the product is supplied to poultry farms and the pet food sector.

·         Councillor Mrs French stated that she finds this most interesting and asked who the product is sold to? Mr Halstead explained that the grubs are sold to several local chicken farmers as feed for their chickens and he also produces dried calci worms for the pet food market.

·         Councillor Mrs French asked Mr Halstead to confirm what he actually burns in his biomass boiler? Mr Halstead explained that he uses a combination of logs and pallet wood to get the logs started and he sources his logs from Wisbech St Mary.

·         Councillor Marks asked whether AgiGrub is the only company who operates this type of business in the area? Mr Halstead stated that he believes that there is another company operating in Cambridge who are expanding into Peterborough.

(Councillor Marks declared at this point that he had not realised earlier but he deals with this company on a professional business level, and took no further part in the discussion or voting thereon.)

·         Councillor Gerstner asked Mr Halstead whether there is a planned maintenance schedule for the boiler, and whether this is undertaken by a company or are they works that he undertakes himself? Mr Halstead explained that in the biomass boiler information request form which was submitted as part of the planning application process, it lays out the maintenance schedule which is used. He explained that he undertakes the weekly and monthly maintenance himself and then the manufacturer undertakes a service once a year.

·         Councillor Gerstner referred to the odour and he asked whether there is any other means of monitoring the smell or smoke omitted from the boiler or is there any particulate matter which is released? Mr Halstead explained that he does not know of any way that the smell can be mechanically measured and he added that he has looked into the possibility of adding abatement systems to the flue, however, the companies he has approached have stated that they cannot assist due to the fact that abatement systems are for black smoke which have particulate matter and what comes out of the biomass boiler is white smoke which is effectively from residual moisture in the fuel. Councillor Gerstner stated that in commercial boilers they have a part called a scrubber which removes some of the pollutants and he asked Mr Halstead whether his boiler has something similar within his flue? Mr Halstead explained that it does not.

·         Councillor Gerstner asked for clarity that whatever material is being burnt just goes out of the chimney or the flue? Mr Halstead confirmed that is correct.

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough asked for further detail concerning the particulate matter that emanates from the boiler? Mr Halstead confirmed that the particulate matter emissions are no greater than 30 grams per gig draw for particulate matter which falls way below the standards set by Environmental Health.

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough clarified that the business Mr Halstead operates uses a biomass boiler to heat up a room to keep insects warm which are then used as food for other animals. Mr Halstead confirmed that summary is correct.

·         Councillor Imafidon asked for clarification that there is only an odour or smoke when the boiler is first lit, and he asked Mr Halstead to confirm how often the boiler is lit and whether it goes out or burns continuously? Mr Halstead explained that with regards to the frequency of lighting the boiler is all dependent on the ambient temperature and in the middle of the summer it will only require to be lit once every two or three days and in the winter, it will be lit every day. He made the point that in an ideal world it is only lit once a day first thing in the morning and then fuel can be added as needed throughout the day but sometimes it does go out and needs relighting.

Members asked officers the following questions:

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough asked officers to confirm that when Environmental Health visited the site did they do so to see if they could smell any odour or did they take any kind of air pollution monitors with them as that equipment records levels accurately. Gavin Taylor stated that that level of detail is not held, however, as per the officer’s report the Environmental Health Officers have been out to the site and carried out monitoring for smoke and odour but he is not aware of the level of detail that the monitoring would be. He added that officers would have read the submitted biomass boiler form which provides the detail concerning the level of particulates that Mr Halstead spoke of. Gavin Taylor added that it appears that the Environmental Health Team have considered that the particulate matter along with other elements of the boiler including the operational hours are suitable. He explained that the boiler details in section 3 of the report set out that the emission limits will be no greater than 30 grammes per gig draw of particulate matter. Gavin Taylor explained that he is not familiar with that terminology as it is a technical matter, however, the team in Environmental Health have considered it and deemed it acceptable.

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough referred to the height of the chimney which is 5 to 6 metres, and she added that as it is closer to ground level would it create more of an issue with regards to pollution as she is aware biomass burners can omit a number of pollutants including nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and sulphur dioxide. Gavin Taylor stated that he cannot answer that as it requires more of a technical response, but he added that when considering particulate matters the form that has been completed and submitted which forms part of the approved details and the condition that is tied to it sets maximum emission limits. He added that there is sufficient detail within that form in order for the Environmental Health Team to monitor and take necessary action if required.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Gerstner expressed the view that the applicant has submitted a very good application, and the site is located far enough away from most people. He added that officers have visited the site and have found no major issues, and the applicant has answered most of the committees’ questions. Councillor Gerstner expressed the view it is a good way to burn old wood and pallets and there is little or no pollutants which have been reported and he will support the application.

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough stated that she disagrees with the viewpoint of Councillor Gerstner, and, in her opinion, there is not enough information which has been provided concerning the monitoring which has been undertaken to form an opinion on the application.

·         Councillor Mrs French stated that she disagrees with that view as the Council’s Environmental Health Officers are extremely experienced and the information which is in the officer’s report is more than enough in order to be able to approve the application.

·         Councillor Connor stated that he agrees with the view of Councillor Gerstner and Councillor Mrs French, and he added that the Environmental Health Officers are very good at their job and the committee needs to take their expert advice and opinions into consideration.

·         Councillor Gerstner stated that this is a very small biomass boiler not a large operational plant.

Proposed by Councillor Mrs French, seconded by Councillor Imafidon and agreed that the application be APPROVED as per the officer’s recommendation.

(Councillor Connor declared, in accordance with Paragraph 2 of the Code of Conduct on Planning Matters, that he has been lobbied on this application)