VILLAGERS have raised concerns over the impact of a proposed waste storage lagoon on the community in Broadmayne.

Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd has submitted a planning application to Dorset County Council for a storage lagoon near the village to store liquid fertiliser from the digestate of an anaerobic digester at Piddlehinton.

The facility will be located by the junction of Chalky Road and the turning to Glebe Farm and Holcombe Valley Cottages.

Broadmayne resident Richard Lipsett has highlighted concerns over the impact on an area of outstanding natural beauty, the potential odour from the facility and, most significantly, the impact on traffic in the village.

The plans submitted to Dorset County Council envisage the delivery of three ten-tonne loads a day during weekdays and two loads on a Saturday.

Mr Lipsett, who has lived in the village for 27 years, said this could have a major impact on Chalky Road and the A352 through the village.

He said: “What amazes me is they have even considered it as a viable application because it’s in an area of outstanding natural beauty and once you start opening that up all sorts of things could happen.

“They will have great difficulty in refusing future applications.”

Mr Lipsett added: “Our biggest concern is traffic. It’s a pretty narrow, twisty road.

“I have been living here for 27 years and I have had some near misses and witnessed several accidents. The A352 is a shocker. Chalky Road is even worse and they are pretty big these vehicles.”

Mr Lipsett said there were more suitable and accessible alternative sites nearby and he suggested that somewhere off the West Stafford bypass would be easier to access and have less impact on residents.

Peter Davies, who lives at Holcombe Valley Cottages, has raised a number of objections in relation to the scheme including issues with the traffic and access as well as the potential for noxious fumes.

The planning application has received more than 80 comments objecting to the scheme.

Broadmayne Parish Council has also registered its objection, citing safety issues as well as the fact it is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and there are potential odour issues.

Anyone wishing to comment on the scheme can visit dorsetforyou.com but the deadline for applications is today.

A spokesman for the county council said that due to the number of representations the matter was likely to go before the planning committee and comments may be accepted up until the meeting date.

Bid to spread movement

MIKE Thompson from Eco Sustainable Solutions Limited moved to ease the concerns of the residents, claiming the whole idea was to spread vehicle movements out as much as possible.

He explained that the idea was that the digestate from the Piddlehinton anaerobic digester plant, which recycles the county’s food waste, would be spread out over four locations – including the one at Broadmayne and three the other side of Dorchester.

Mr Thompson said one tractor and tanker would do rounds of the four sites, delivering the digestate so it was stored for when it was needed.

He said spreading the deliveries out and storing the digestate was seen as preferable to a rush of vehicles during the season.

Mr Thompson said: “The whole of this has been done to reduce as far as possible the environmental impact of moving organic fertiliser from food waste.

“The idea is to reduce the impact on local roads – it’s a case of spreading it out over the whole year.”

Mr Thompson added that under new Environment Agency regulations the storage lagoons would be covered and ‘the odour would be controlled’.