THE decision to hear the Winkleigh biomass planning application in the village community last week has been hailed as ?a very good day for local democracy in Torridge?. Cllr Christine March, chairman of the district council plans committee, said: ?The committee decision to refuse the application was clearly welcomed in Winkleigh and the surrounding villages, but the real winners were all the residents of Torridge. ?The committee?s verdict ? whether for or against ? was obviously the most important part of the agenda, but the manner in which it was reached was almost as crucial.? She said that what happened at Winkeigh Sports Hall, where the application was debated, was local democracy at its best, ?a very good day for Torridge?. ?There were powerful arguments expressed on both sides and I applaud the quality of contribution from all those who spoke, both at the morning briefing and during the committee meeting. ?Torridge District Council is committed to renewable energy, but it needs to be on an appropriate scale for the location. The committee did not feel this was the case with this application.? Mal Brown, strategic director (improvement) at Torridge, who organised the hearing, said: ?We tried to strike a balance between a desire to hear the application in the community most affected by the proposal and finding a venue which could cater for the undoubted interest shown by the public. ?The evidence and public feedback show that we not only achieved that aim but also proved that we can work in and with the community.? Around 250 opponents and supporters lobbied the special meeting which considered the proposal by Peninsular Power Ltd to build a biomass electricity plant on the former airfield on the outskirts of the village. The company wanted to develop the near eight-acre site for a biomass power plant that would use energy crops such as miscanthus grass, local forestry residues, clean wood waste, cellulosic fibres and compost to generate renewable energy. Using advanced technology, the biomass would be dried and gasified to produce a fuel gas ? syngas ? that would be cooled, cleaned of contaminants, compressed and fired into a gas turbine to generate electrical power. The hot exhaust gases from the turbine and gasifier would then be used to generate steam that would generate further power in a steam turbine. But Torridge planning officers recommended refusal of the application, and councillors voted to support that view after an alternative motion to approve the scheme was defeated. Peninsular Power, which disputed all the reasons for recommending refusal, has indicated its intention to appeal.
