Comment for planning application SCC/0045/23SE

The White Horse Inn Withersfield, CB9 7SH

Dear Sir I wish to object to the proposed development of an anaerobic digester at Spring Grove Farm, Haverhill. In principle, I object to this proposal on the grounds that the site proposed for this significant industrial, not agricultural, development is wholly inappropriate for many reasons. Further, it is likely to have a considerable impact on my family and our business, The White Horse Inn, in Withersfield. I have run pubs in the Haverhill area for many years and I have had to overcome various challenges affecting our businesses, not least the Covid epidemic in 2020. However, I have never faced a challenge as potentially damaging as this. It is undeniable that this type of facility generates unpleasant smells. Acorn, the company wanting to develop the site in cooperation with the landowner, The Thurlow Estate, claim bad smells will be 'mitigated' and 'limited'. Anaerobic digester plants do and will create bad smells that will travel in the prevailing westerly wind direction towards Withersfield and Haverhill. The cause of the bad odours is rotting vegetation and poultry waste. These materials, by their nature, attract vermin and flies. Flies especially are attracted to this type of organic waste, but, unlike vermin, are also likely to travel away from the source. There is a high probability of infestations from both species within a 1km radius. In addition to the circa 1000 homes within a 1km radius of the site, our pub is separated from the development only by fields and is directly in the path of the prevailing wind. The impact of smell and related issues on our business, which has a large outdoor beer garden and hosts numerous events outdoors during the summer, would be massive. We also have 5 rooms which are regularly used by walkers and people wanting to visit the countryside, which would quickly lose all the appeal due to constant and uncontrollable issues of smell. Our clientele would have to endure an increase in light and noise pollution. The site is not time constrained; it's a 24/7 process so it will be operational at night. It will require floodlighting outside of daylight hours, causing light pollution. The normal business of the site will be conducted during daylight and the hours of darkness, meaning its usual operations, including gas tanker movements with reversing sirens, will continue at the time of day when sound travels further, affecting even more residents than usual and directly effecting the pub and the guest rooms. The site is situated alongside the A1307 which is considered a high-risk route, and the location of several fatalities over the years. It's only some 250 metres from the Spirit of Enterprise roundabout, meant to be a welcome to Haverhill. If this development goes ahead the site will need to be serviced throughout the year by farm vehicles and HGVs transporting waste and gas tankers collecting and removing methane from the site. At the height of the summer, this traffic will increase dramatically as the harvest generates the silage used in the digestion process. There will be short-term disruption during the construction period and long-term traffic disruption once complete all of which will lead to considerable inconvenience to all locals as a result of this development. Construction will involve dozens, if not hundreds, of HGV movements in and out of the site. Once completed, the plant will operate on a 24/7 basis. There will be HGVs and farm vehicles delivering to site throughout the day. Acorn have supposedly identified the number of movements but, as they are yet unaware of exactly where the waste will originate, they simply cannot say with certainty exactly what the increase in traffic will be, just that it will increase. Of course, they wish to downplay this very significant issue. What they do acknowledge is that their definition of farm vehicles includes HGVs and grain lorries and it describes that these vehicles will transport silage to the site over farm tracks from across the estate. These farm tracks MUUST cross public roads and thus there must be an impact on local residents and road users. The estate, sum 16,000 acres, is largely comprised of land to the north of the White Horse and all of that traffic will head towards the site of the AD, meaning it must head either right through, or right by, Withersfield. It is simply unworkable that this traffic will not have an impact on the lives of those who live and work in the Withersfield area and it must and will have a hugely detrimental impact on the White Horse Inn. No one will want to stay in rooms that both smell and where the silence of the countryside is ripped apart initially by the construction noise and subsequently by both the sounds of the operation of the plant and of the constant stream of lorries going by. No one is going to want to sit in our beer garden or hold their special event in a place where the smell is unbearable and the constant sound of lorries and/or tractors accelerating dominates the background. This will also contribute to further local traffic issues. Already our village is blighted by lorry movements to and from the Jellycat factory, largely during the working week. These lorries regularly create jams in Silver Street when they cannot pass other vehicles and they constantly fail to make the turn onto Skippers Lane successfully, resulting in the beeping of reversing lorries as they attempt to navigate the corner. During harvest grain lorries regularly speed through the village as they attempt to make as many deliveries as possible during their shift - this will be constant during the whole of summer if the plant goes ahead, as lorries strive to make their deliveries to the plant as quickly as possible. During summer when it is common for cars to line the street (parking legally) outside the pub this increased heavy vehicle traffic must create a real health and safety issue for everyone in the local area. Ultimately, the benefits of this development seem to be few and far between and will only benefit a tiny number of individuals, none of whom will likely suffer from the very many hugely negative impacts this proposed development will have. Acorn state that once operational the plant will create 5 jobs. Five!! Already we are aware of companies based in the EpiCentre who will move from the area if the proposal goes ahead, taking many times that number of jobs with them. I highly doubt our business will survive in the longer term and our humble village pub employs more than twice the number of people the proposed plant will. And all for what? The local area to be affected by the increased pollution, smell and noise as well as the inconvenience of significantly increased traffic for no local benefit whatsoever - from what I understand all the gas produced is to be taken to Milton Keynes! Haverhill is the fastest growing town in Suffolk and one of the worst connected towns in the entire country. We should all be looking for ways to improve our region, create real opportunity and make use of its natural resources like its green space and the open countryside. This development will do nothing of the sort, it doesn't benefit any of the people in the local area and damages the chance of future investment or projects from which we'll all benefit. For the sake of my business, my family, residents of Withersfield and Haverhill and for everyone who visits and benefits from our beautiful surroundings this proposed development must be rejected. Sincerely Ada Collingwood The White Horse Inn Withersfield