News / Angelo Calabrese
Officers approve Avonmouth green power plant
Bristol City Council officers have recommended plans for a green power plant in Avonmouth should be approved.
A planning application for the 11MW power plant at Chittening Industrial Estate had been put forward in the summer, during the height of local protests over air quality in the area.
The power plant would process 60,000 tonnes of waste wood a year to create a natural gas, which would then be burned to generate electricity.
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Bristol24/7 revealed earlier this month that officers had been pressured into allowing councillors to make the final decision on the application.
Council officials had recommended that the decision over whether to approve the plans would be taken in private by officers, instead of passing the plans over to elected councillors to decide in public.
But a BCC spokesman confirmed councillors would be given the chance to debate and decide on the scheme at a development control committee meeting on November 5.
In a report to councillors to consider next week, council officer Angelo Calabrese said the plant would not affect have “significant impacts” on air quality in the area.
“The principle of a biomass plant in Avonmouth is supported by both national and local policy and the proposal has the potential to contribute to renewable energy,” he said.
“The scheme will not raise any significant impacts on air quality for humans and wildlife and would not have a negative impact on the character and appearance of the industrial area. No significant transport issues are raised and the scheme will mitigate the loss of mature trees.
“Subject to the following conditions the proposal would comply with the Bristol Core Strategy and Site allocations And Development Management Policies and is recommended for approval.”
Residents and campaigners opposed to the plant have cited fears over toxic, potentially carcinogenic, wood dust settling on residential areas, disposal of toxic ash that will be produced by the plant, and concerns over the technology that will be used.
On Monday, councillor and parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West Clare Campion-Smith publicly backed opponents, saying the plant was “not the answer to our energy problems”.
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