Green Light given for agricultural biogas facility in Newtown

An Bord Pleanála has overturned Donegal County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for an agriculture biogas renewable energy facility in Newtowncunningham.

Two years ago, Northwest Energy Park Ltd was refused planning permission by Donegal County Council for the proposed development at Maylin, Newtowncunningham.

Subsequently, by August 2023, the company had lodged an appeal to An Bord Pleanála and the planning authority has now given the green light for the biogas facility.

Northwest Energy Park Ltd had sought permission for the construction and continuous operation of the facility. The development is to include three primary digester tanks, two post-digester tanks, with a pump room, and a pasteurisation unit with auxiliary tanks.

The renewable energy facility will also consist of an emergency flare with base and security fencing, three agricultural solid feeders, two underground pre-reception tanks, two covered agricultural digestate storage tanks, and a gas combined heat and power unit.

In refusing planning permission, Donegal County Council said there was an absence ‘of detailed specifications for the types of materials that would be used as digestate’.

The Council said that ambiguity had arisen from inconsistencies within the documentation about the ratio of digestate that would be made up from farm byproducts.

The Council highlighted how granting permission would have had ‘significant detrimental impacts on residential amenity, the environment (including public health) and Natura 2000 sites over an expansive area’.

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After considering the appeal however, An Bord Pleanála has now granted planning permission subject to 15 conditions. The Board said it felt the development would be a benefit to supporting national and regional renewable energy, while conferring with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

One of the conditions attached as part of the permission being granted was that during the digestion process there should be no material change in the mix of feedstock or a change in the nature of the feedstock mix without the benefit of a further planning permission.

Prior to commencement of the development, a Traffic Management Plan is to be submitted and agreed in writing with the planning authority. 

The planning authority stated that feedstock deliveries to the site and the transport of digestate from the development should be confined to between the hours of 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 8am and 6pm on Saturdays.

Other conditions included that the measures contained in the submitted documentation for the Natura Impact Statement and the Environmental Report are to be implemented in full.