RESIDENTS at St Owen's Cross have hastily arranged a new St Owen's Residents' Association in response to a proposal for an anerobic digester on a nearby farm. They have been brought together by their concerns about traffic, health, noise, environmental impact and pollution if the go-ahead is given for a 499kW facility at Little Pengethley Farm. The proposed site will cover an area 10,800 square metres.

Anaerobic digestion is a treatment process which harnesses natural bacteria to produce biogas from poultry waste and crops such as sugar beet. Residents fear the plans will result in an additional 3,000 truck journeys each year along the already busy A49, A4137 and B4521 to fuel the digester. They claim that most of the waste will be trucked in from across the county.

Judy Turner who lives in the hamlet said: "It has been noticeable that the agricultural traffic has increased in the last few years, and so have the accidents on this crossroads."

One parent, who lives within sight of the proposed facility, has grave concerns for her daughter who is asthmatic and worries how the proposed facility will impact on her health. Local residents feel that they have not been adequately informed about the proposed digester with many not receiving the planning notification until the weekend and others not at all. Consequently, they told the Gazette, that some of them have been unable to understand the nature of the application, ask questions or lodge any objections.

Though not required to submit a full Environmental Impact assessment (only submissions over 500kW are required to do so), the methodology used in the applicant's submissions followed general recommendations. Speaking to the Gazette, Patrick Lewis, MD of Gamber Produce confirmed that: "We will be working closely with the planning officer."