Objection to Planning Application PL/2023/03359, Proposed Anaerobic Digestion Plant, land off Ashton Road, Ashton Keynes

I am writing as a [resident / business owner / visitor] of [location] to object to the above application in the strongest possible terms. My objection rests on the following material planning considerations:

1. Site suitability and landscape impact (NPPF paragraph 180; Wiltshire Core Policy 51). The proposed site lies within the setting of the Cotswold Lakes Site of Special Scientific Interest, a landscape of national importance for wildlife and a rural tourism economy that depends on its intact character. The scale and industrial nature of the proposed development is fundamentally incompatible with that setting.

2. Highways and transport (NPPF paragraph 116; Core Policy 61). The local road network consists of narrow rural roads already under pressure from residents, schools, cyclists and seasonal visitor traffic. Continuous HGV movements associated with the operation of this plant would give rise to unacceptable impacts on highway safety and residual cumulative effects on the road network.

3. Environmental protection and pollution risk (NPPF paragraph 191; Core Policies 50 and 55). The proximity of the site to lakes, watercourses and aquifers presents an unacceptable risk in the event of any digestate leak, spill, or plant failure. Operational odour, flare emissions and the handling of large volumes of biological material in a sensitive location raise further material concerns.

4. Impact on the rural economy (NPPF paragraph 88). The Cotswold Lakes support a visitor economy of more than one million visits a year, sustaining local employment across accommodation, hospitality, watersports and retail. An industrial facility at this location risks direct harm to that economy.

5. Precedent and cumulative impact. A near-identical application by the same applicant at Spring Grove Farm, Suffolk, was unanimously refused by Suffolk County Council in June 2025 on substantively similar grounds. Approval at Ashton Keynes would set a harmful precedent for further industrial encroachment into nationally designated landscapes.

In my view, the adverse impacts of this development significantly and demonstrably outweigh any claimed benefits. I urge the council to refuse this application.

Yours faithfully,

[Your name]