An Angus anaerobic digester plant with the capacity to produce enough energy for 3,000 homes has been approved for farmland on the coast near Carnoustie.
The Hatton Farm project raised objections from residents in nearby East Haven worried that the smell of hydrogen sulphide might drift over the award-winning community, but Angus Council planning chiefs have put in place an odour management condition designed to control the risk.
The Clova Renewables development will stretch over almost two hectares to the south of the A92 Dundee to Arbroath dual carriageway, surrounded by farmland which will be used to grow crops including maize, rye and sugar beet for the digester plant.
Remnants of the Second World War Hatton airfield also remain in the vicinity and Angus development standards councillors were shown 3D images of how the plant will look, detailing the site layout which will include an office/weighbridge control building, digester and storage tanks and ancillary structures including bio gas compressors and heat unit.
The official report recommending conditional approval highlighted a visit made by Angus officials to an operational anaerobic digester plant near Wormit in Fife which was described as being very similar to the planned Angus project in terms of feed stock, processes and the proximity to residential neighbours.
The report stated: “On the basis of that site visit and assessment to the relevant information the environmental health service is satisfied that, subject to controls on the type of feed material to be used in the process and how the process is managed, the odour impact associated with the proposed development should not be significant.
“The proposal is considered to be an appropriate diversification of the agricultural operation at Hatton Farm that would not unduly compromise local amenity or environmental quality.”
The applicant’s agent, Heinz Voigt, told councillors the plant would operate “with minimal or no impact on nearby properties and little visual impact on the surrounding area.”
Arbroath councillor David Fairweather said: “I notice that the East Haven residents are extremely concerned about odour.
“They have done a fantastic job in bringing visitors to the area, it’s a lovely walk along the coast to Arbroath and I can understand that people are going to be concerned about possible odours.
“There’s a condition put in and the council can go back if there is an issue with odour so hopefully this will give the residents of East Haven some comfort.”
