New plant turning manure into power gets green light

The company said feedstock – made up of straw, maize, grass and poultry and dairy manure – would be added to anaerobic digesters to create biogas.

Once transformed into biomethane, it would be removed by tanker for use in the National Grid.

Mr Veitch said: “We went to great lengths in the meeting to bring in a real expert in air quality, the plant won’t smell, we’ve modelled it really carefully and we’re keen to be a good neighbour.”

Anna Becvar, a chartered soil scientist who has worked on the plans with the developers said: “The site incorporates the very latest advances in industry technologies within its design.

“Compared with the previous 2022 application this proposal contains more measures more to contain and reduce odours before air is released in the atmosphere.”

Cathy Ellis, the chairman of Evenley Parish Council, said there were nearly 1,000 objections to the plans for the site, which would cover 10.41 hectares (25.7 acres) of fields to the west of the A43.

“You wouldn’t want this [the industrial plant] next to your home,” she added.

Sue Ricketts, who lives nearby, spoke against the plans at the meeting, saying it was in the “wrong location”.

“The scale, height and massing of the development will not minimise the adverse impact on people and the natural environment,” she said.

Andrew Thompson, a farmer in Brackley, said there were benefits as farmers could sell the company “break crops, the crops that are put in between continuous cereals, and give farmers, depending on the yields, some guaranteed incomes”.