The Wiltshire Council Strategic Planning Committee was scheduled to discuss a single planning application for an anaerobic digestion facility. The meeting's agenda focused on the potential construction and operation of this facility, including ancillary infrastructure and a new access road, at Land West of Ashton Road, Ashton Keynes.

Planning Application for Anaerobic Digestion Facility

The primary item scheduled for discussion was the planning application (PL/2023/03359) for the construction and operation of an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility at Land West of Ashton Road, Ashton Keynes, Wilts, SN6 6QT. The proposal included ancillary infrastructure and the construction of a new access road from Ashton Road.

The report pack indicated that the facility was intended to process approximately 91,000 tonnes of agricultural feedstock annually, producing renewable biomethane, digestate fertiliser, and captured carbon dioxide. The design had undergone several revisions since its initial submission, with a focus on reducing scale and massing, and incorporating landscape mitigation.

Key areas scheduled for discussion within the report pack included:

• Principle of Development: The report outlined that the development was supported in principle by national policy and Wiltshire Core Strategy Policy 42, which encourages standalone renewable energy installations, provided site-specific impacts are acceptably managed. The location was considered appropriate due to its proximity to agricultural feedstock sources and strategic road access.
• Design and Impact on Character: The report detailed how the design had evolved to reduce visual impact, including lowered site levels, fewer digesters, and extensive landscape planting. However, the Council's Senior Landscape Officer maintained an objection, citing concerns about the scale of landform alteration and residual landscape harm.
• Impact on Heritage Assets: The Council's Senior Conservation Officer raised no objection, concluding that designated heritage assets were sufficiently distant to avoid harm. An archaeological investigation condition was recommended.
• Landscape and Visual Impact: This was identified as a significant issue, with the Council's Senior Landscape Officer maintaining an objection due to concerns about localised harm to the rural character and visual intrusion. The report acknowledged that the proposal would result in moderate, localised harm, but concluded it was acceptable in the context of the development's benefits and the evolving character of the Cotswold Water Park landscape.
• Loss of Agricultural Land: The report noted the loss of approximately 6.99 hectares of Grade 3 agricultural land, with a portion considered potentially Best and Most Versatile. This harm was afforded moderate weight but was considered justified by the proposal's benefits and temporary nature.
• Impact on Amenity: The report concluded that, subject to conditions, the development would not result in unacceptable effects on the amenity of nearby properties regarding noise, odour, lighting, and air quality, with significant separation distances and enclosed processes in place.
• Wider Environmental Considerations: Assessments of noise, air quality, land contamination, water environment, and operational safety were discussed. The report concluded that, subject to conditions and the Environmental Permitting regime, no unacceptable environmental impacts were anticipated.
• Highway Safety and Parking: Wiltshire Council's Highways Authority raised no objection, subject to conditions. Concerns from Gloucestershire County Council regarding cross-boundary impacts were noted but considered not to demonstrate severe residual cumulative impacts. The report concluded that traffic impacts could be managed through routing and timing controls.
• Ecology and Biodiversity: The report concluded that the development would not result in unacceptable harm to biodiversity or designated ecological sites, subject to mitigation measures and a legal obligation to secure off-site skylark mitigation.
• Flood Risk and Drainage: The site was located in Flood Zone 1, and the proposed drainage strategy, incorporating Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), was considered acceptable, with no objections raised by statutory consultees.
• Impact on Tourism and the Visitor Economy: While acknowledging some localised adverse effects on tourism and recreational amenity, the report concluded these were limited, mitigated, and unlikely to materially undermine the wider Cotswold Water Park's economy.
• Other Issues: Various other concerns raised in representations, including human health risks, emergency planning, carbon accounting, and the need for the development, were addressed, with the report concluding they did not alter the overall assessment.

The report recommended that planning permission be granted, subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement for off-site skylark mitigation and a range of planning conditions covering matters such as decommissioning, construction management, traffic controls, landscape and ecology management, and pollution prevention. The report also noted that the meeting's agenda included minutes from a previous meeting held on 16 June 2026, and updates on planning appeals.