Buckie residents band together to say ‘No’ to Rathven biogas plans as petition handed over
Residents near the site of a proposed biogas plant have handed over a petition voicing their strong opposition to the scheme.
Acorn Bioenergy are proposing to construct an anaerobic digestion plant on agricultural land to the south of Rathven and adjacent to the March Road Industrial Estate.
The plans took centre stage at a well-attended public meeting hosted by Buckie Boys’ Brigade hall at Marchmont Crescent at the beginning of March. Numerous concerns were raised, including odour from the plant and the potential impact of extra HGV traffic on an already busy area.
Many local residents remain far from convinced by the firm’s arguments and have voiced their concerns and opposition by presenting a petition to Moray Council against the plans. To date 102 people have signed the petition, from a community numbering in the order of 40 to 50 houses plus some areas from slightly further afield.
Further strength has been added to their hand by the rejection on April 16 by Moray Council’s planning committee of an application by Acorn to construct a similar plant near Elgin at Longmorn, councillors agreeing with objectors that it would endanger road users and represented a local blight.
Handing over the petition on the steps of Moray Council HQ in Elgin to Development Management and Building Standards manager Neal MacPherson was Rathven householder Ryan Taylor. He was accompanied by Buckie and District Community Council chairman Peter West and joined by council SNP group leader Councillor Scott Lawrence.
Mr Taylor stated that while they residents were not against the idea of biomethane plant, it was the location which was giving rise for serious concern
He said: “In the first consultation at the Fishermen’s Hall last year there wasn’t really enough information available for residents to make a judgement.
“We don’t see any benefit for the community in the plans. After the unanimous rejection of the Longmorn application it’s definitely time for us to say that the concerns raised there are pretty much the same we have for Rathven.,
“Road safety is the biggest thing for us, I’d say, because that road's not designed for the volume of HGV and agricultural traffic using it already, it's not fit for purpose. There’re fish vans, Forsyth lorries, Macduff Shipyard, you've got so many heavy goods vehicles using it, it's falling to bits.”
Mr Taylor went on to say the message the local community were hoping to get across loud and clear was quite simple.
“I would say that the majority of folk don't want it. They're (Acorn Bioenergy) not convincing anybody that they care for the area. They’re not concerned about us,, they just want to get it built with government's money, taxpayer money
“As well, if you speak to people, nobody's against biodigesters, nobody's against the process of creating gas, it's just the wrong area the completely wrong sphere.”
Mr West stressed the community council were there to help local people voice any concerns the may entertain regarding the project.
He said: “We're not in a position to pass comment or judgment one way or the other, basically our objective is to act as a voice for the people who are showing concern about what's going on there.
“When you look at the arguments that are being put forward by the people who are in Rathven and also the people who represented the community over at Longmorn, the public are concerned not just about the fact it's ‘in my backyard’, but there are genuine concerns regarding safety, regarding road condition.
“As Ryan pointed out, the road there is in a pretty dire state and the question is, what are they going to do, if anything, to put that right and maintain it in the future with all the additional traffic? If they don't, it comes back on the public.”
If granted planning permission were to be submitted and granted, biomethane and CO₂ would be created in a number of sealed tanks - around 30-40m wide and 10m high although these could be partially sunk into the ground - on the site, with the former either pumped directly into the national grid or tankered away. The CO₂ could be used in a number of different ways, including for carbonated drinks.
According to Acorn, the plant would cost in the region of £30-40 million to build, supporting 15 on-site jobs, 50 further afield and around 100 during the three-year construction phase. It is envisaged it would have a lifespan in the order of 25 years and, going by figures issued by the firm, would have an annual gas generation output equivalent to taking 20,000 cars off the road.
