Proposals for £30m rendering plant development submitted

18-May-2018 - Last updated on 18-May-2018 at 09:58 GMT

Plans for a £30m site have been submitted and are currently under consultation

Plans for a £30 million transformation of a Lincolnshire animal rendering site have been unveiled.

Currently under public consultation, the plans were submitted by DS Developing for Jerusalem Farm, Skellingthorpe, which is owned by The Leo Group.

If approved, the two-phase redevelopment would include the construction of an entirely new plant for processing animal by-products, followed by demolition of the existing plant; the installation of a modern thermal oxidiser and bio filter bed to minimise odours; the installation of the latest effluent treatment plant facilities to cleanse and enable the reuse of water within the new plant; and the development of four homes, with one being intended for occupation by the plant manager.

There would also be publicly accessible open space, focused on an existing fresh water body in the northern corner of the site, which would provide opportunities and facilities for fishing, walking, cycling and outdoor exercise, with connections into adjoining Public Rights of Way, together with new areas of car parking to serve those uses. There would also be a community building, to provide a multi-functional indoor space, sited by the fishing pond and intended to support and complement the outdoor recreation facilities and provide a space for everyday community and educational use, with associated car parking

The proposals also allow provision for improved site access, designed to increase safety for all highway users through the provision with better visibility, new footways and increased road width to allow two HGVs to pass side by side as they enter and leave the works.

There are also suggestions for a landscape masterplan, to ensure the new plant is well-screened, with new woodland planting also designed to bring about net gains for local biodiversity and ecology.

DS Developing’s proposal is designed to provide an alternative to another rendering facility application, submitted in Norton Disney, 10 miles from Skellingthorpe. The Norton Disney application has been submitted by Lincoln Proteins, the current tenant of Jerusalem Farm.

DS Developing’s planning application has also been supported by an 850-page environment impact assessment, which demonstrates that the development will improve the current air and noise climate for Skellingthorpe residents. As reported in local media outlet The Lincolnite, the current Skellingthorpe facility had attracted criticism from residents who believed the site had helped the village earn the ‘Smelly Skelly’ nickname.

A spokesman for DS Developing said: “The plans we are putting forward will totally transform the Jerusalem Farm site and, more importantly for residents, provide a realistic alternative to the proposals for a similar venture at Norton Disney.

“We have worked with a number of planning and environmental experts in drawing up the designs for the site. If we are granted planning permission, the site will be run by a Leo Group company and there will be no job losses.”