A:
The application submitted to South Derbyshire District Council was withdrawn in acknowledgement of Derbyshire County Council's view that this is now a county planning matter.
Q: Have the plans changed since the first application was withdrawn?
A: No, the proposals remain the same.
Q: If planning permission is granted what is the proposed commencement date?
A: This will depend on the approval of the funding for the project but it is anticipated that work will commence, subject to planning permission, in 2012.
Q: How long will it take to complete the building of the unit?
A: It is anticipated that this will take no longer than twelve months to complete, although some aspects will be finished before then.
Q: What assurances do you have that local residents will not have to put up with the normal smell associated with a pig farm?
A: There will be three systems in place to ensure that all the gasses are retained for the biogas plant. If one system should fail, the other two will still work, preventing the ammonia and gasses which cause ‘the smell’ escaping into the atmosphere.
Q: What level of noise will be created by the operation?
A: Any noise will be minimal and will not be heard over the constant background noise generated by the A50.
Q: Will the development leave the site vulnerable to flooding?
A:The development is outside the flood plain.
Q: What about pollution such as dust, noise, light and other environmental issues?
A:All aspects of the operation will comply with
environmental regulations. This includes light
and noise pollution and gas emissions. We
have carried out a full Environmental Impact
Assessment which concluded that there will be
no significant impact on the fauna, flora or
water courses in the area as a result of this
development.
Q: Will the community benefit from the energy being produced, if so, how?
A: The generation of electricity will benefit everyone when environmentally friendly energy is supplied into the National Grid.
Q: Where will the organic waste be coming from, is it safe and how will it be transported?
A: This will be supplied by licensed companies, using existing, proven, systems. All waste used on the farm will comply with Environment Agency standards.
Q: What jobs and business opportunities will be created for the local community?
A: All employment and contracts will be kept local whenever possible. It is anticipated that when completed the unit will create up to 18 new jobs.
Q: What will be the visual impact of the unit when the building work is completed, from the road and/or the village?
A: Extensive screening and sympathetic design will reduce the impact from all roads, footpaths and all other vantage points. The impact will be far less than any development on Dove Valley Industrial Estate. Thorough impact assessments concluded that there will be no significant impact on the local environment. These assessments will be available for viewing when the planning application has been submitted.
Q: What is the possibility of any animals escaping from the unit and causing damage or accidents?
A: Security on site will be of the highest standards due to the Defra regulations for hygiene and disease control. The pigs will be
kept in an enclosed environment and loading takes place via an indoor fenced area. There will be staff on site 24 hours a day.
Q: Is the Biogas processing plant a potential hazard and what safety precautions will be taken?
A: The process uses proven technology from around the world and has the highest safety standards.
Q: What consideration has been given to animal welfare?
A: Animal welfare is our top priority and our
plans are to the highest possible specification.
These plans have been inspected by some of the most highly respected animal welfare groups whose concerns we have tried to accommodate in the design.
MPP is part of the internationally recognised Genesis Quality Assurance scheme, which includes independent quarterly veterinary inspections.
Q: What about the objections to the plans from the Animal Rights Groups?
These plans have been inspected by some of the most highly respected animal welfare groups whose concerns we have tried to accommodate in the design.
MPP is part of the internationally recognised Genesis Quality Assurance scheme, which includes independent quarterly veterinary inspections.
A: We fully respect peoples' right to their own
opinion.
We believe that farms in the UK will have to get more efficient if the consumer's demand for British meat at a reasonable price is to be met. However, we recognize that there are single issue pressure groups which would prefer people not to eat meat at all and therefore they are obviously unlikely to support our proposals.
We believe that farms in the UK will have to get more efficient if the consumer's demand for British meat at a reasonable price is to be met. However, we recognize that there are single issue pressure groups which would prefer people not to eat meat at all and therefore they are obviously unlikely to support our proposals.