OPPONENTS of a controversial scheme for a biomass energy plant at Winkleigh packed the village hall on Tuesday night to give representatives of the South West Regional Development Agency the message they did not want the plant near their village.

Nearly 200 villagers attended the meeting. Many were angry claiming that the RDA has used taxpayers money to buy 36-acres of land at Winkleigh airfield which is the proposed site of the 23 megawatt biomass plant.

John Taynton, corporate communications manager for the RDA told the meeting the organisation did support renewable energy but had 'no hidden agenda' for purchasing the land and for funding an environmental impact assessment into the scheme.

'It is absolutely silly if there is a site proposed on the market to let it disappear into other developers' hands,' he said.

Mr Taynton said if the firm behind the scheme, Peninsula Power, was not given planning permission, the RDA could look at other potential uses for the site.

Claire Gibson, planning transport and environment manager for the RDA said: 'We support biomass projects in principle. However, we appreciate there are significant issues with this, which need to be addressed. It is a new technology and we understand there are a number of concerns folk have about the impact on the local community.'

Earlier this week, John Burnett, Liberal Democrat MP for West Devon and Torridge, met Energy Minister Stephen Timms to voice his concerns about the use of public money to help enable the project before the planning process had even begun.

The Department of Trade and Industry has offered Peninsula Power an £11.5-million grant as part of a Government initiative to increase new forms of renewable energy.

Peninsula Power say among the benefits of the project will be the creation of up to 100 jobs during construction, more than 40 full-time permanent jobs when the station is operational, plus up to 400 jobs would be protected or created in farming and forestry throughout the region.