CAMPAIGNERS opposed to plans for a biomass power plant on Winkleigh airfield have taken their case to Torridge District Council to raise their concerns about the controversial scheme.

David Lausen, made a presentation to councillors at a special meeting of the overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday, as a representative of the Winkleigh Society along with Wendy Mondy representing the Winkleigh Village Working Party.

Mr Lausen said he was 'very pleased' with the outcome. 'Our concerns about traffic, the vast scale of this operation and the impact of harvesting energy crops in this area were well understood by councillors,' he said.

Mr Lausen will also be meeting senior officials at the Government Office of the South West in Plymouth this week to outline villagers' concerns.

He has also written to Devon County Council calling for a full and thorough Environmental Impact Assessment report into the proposal. Mr Lausen states the assessment must take account of two issues he feels are particularly relevant to the county council – traffic and the serious ramifications of a major change in land use around Winkleigh.

'We do not believe that you can profitably grow and harvest sufficient willow and miscanthus in this area due to our relatively small fields, sloping hills and clay soil,' he said.

However, Neil Devons, spokesman for the firm behind the proposal Peninsula Power refuted this.

'The change to energy crops will provide a long-term and stable future for farmers many of whom are struggling to find markets for their traditional produce,' he said.

Mr Devons said Peninsula Power was already in detailed discussion with a number of small farmers about growing the miscanthus crops needed to fuel the plant. 'The agricultural sector is a very mature sector and they are not going to go into something they are not convinced of,' he said.

Traffic was another issue Mr Lausen said an environmental assessment should consider. He said Winkleigh had no rail link and can only be reached via minor roads making it unsuitable for the large number of heavy lorry movements required to fuel the plant.

Mr Devons acknowledged the traffic generated by the proposed plant was an issue. 'Traffic is obviously an issue. We estimate between 35 to 45 truck movements a day would be required to run the site, but many vehicle movements would be substitutional, replacing other vehicle movements as farmers alter their operations and deploy energy crops,' he said.

Peninsula Power say a public information programme, including a leaflet outlining the scheme, an exhibition and a public meeting will be launched soon but they are awaiting the results of an independent report first.

'This is going to be a major step for the area, we want a debate about the facts, so we are awaiting an independent environmental assessment,' added Mr Devons.