Comment for planning application SCC/0045/23SE

3 Cheveley Park Cheveley Newmarket CB8 9DE

Great Wratting Parish Council has noted the contents of the planning application for an anaerobic digester to be installed on the edge of Haverhill, and is mindful of the acute local opposition to this development, particularly from the village of Withersfield, and from the Arboretum and Epicentre adjacent to the site. We have studied the environmental statements which form part of the application and we question whether the perceived environmental benefits are offset by the environmental impact of the construction itself, and the exceptionally high number of vehicle movements predicted once the facility has been completed. We request greater clarity and quantification about this, please. However, we are extremely concerned about the predicted high level of HGV and additional farm vehicle movements in and out of the facility, which are stated to be approaching 10,000 each year. There is scant detail about which roads will be used to access the planned facility. We require clarity about the additional traffic movements in and around the local area which will have a serious and deleterious impact upon the conservation village of Great Wratting. The road between Great Wratting and Withersfield is designated as a "Quiet Lane", is already designated as unsuitable for HGVs, and is therefore wholly unsuitable for use by any vehicles serving the anaerobic digester. Notwithstanding the HGV restrictions and Quiet Lane notices, we anticipate that this road will be used by heavy vehicles associated with the construction and use of this planned facility, which is totally unacceptable. In conclusion, we strongly object to the application and trust you will provide, as requested above, substantive detail on environmental impact of the activity and the HGV movements.