PLANS for a composting plant in a Suffolk village look set to be given the go-ahead despite fears that local road networks will be unable to cope with the influx of large vehicles.

PLANS for a composting plant in a Suffolk village look set to be given the go-ahead despite fears that local road networks will be unable to cope with the influx of large vehicles.

Bioganix Ltd's plans to convert a waste transfer station at Silverlace Green, Parham, near Framlingham, into a processing plant for recycling municipal and food waste are to be discussed by council chiefs on Wednesday.

Planners are recommending that members of the development control committee raise no objections to the proposals subject to various conditions, including a traffic management plan with a routing strategy for the plant and an assurance than no more than 35,000 tons of waste material will be processed in any 12-month period.

It could be the second controversial development to be granted a green light within a month after Suffolk Coastal District Council's decision to approve an onshore windfarm at Parham airfield.

Last night, local district and county councillor Colin Hart said he still had anxieties regarding the recycling plant.

“If they are in mind to accept the proposal then I shall push for the amount of waste that is handled every year to be no more than 30,000 tonnes as suggested by the district council because 35,000 is too much,” he said.

“The key issue however is the traffic. It's totally unacceptable for this amount to go through Parham, Marlesford or Great Glemham. If the plans are accepted then councillors must make sure that the traffic plan is adhered to and that lorries enter and exit via Buttons Avenue which links to the A12 from opposite Glemham Hall. Even then this is unsatisfactory because the route takes lorries past people's homes and along inadequate roads.”

Meanwhile in a letter to Suffolk County Council, vice-chairman of Parham Parish Council Andrew Houseley, said the volume of traffic, suitability of roads, size and weight of vehicles, visual impact of the plant, potential for noise and the possibility of spillage and odour were all concerns for nearby villagers.

But Nick Helme, managing director of Bioganix Ltd, said he believed the development would be beneficial to the surrounding area.

“The big benefit will be that the material is actually going to be recycled and it will reduce the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill.” he said.

“The Government will soon be imposing large fines on local authorities which fail to meet certain recycling targets and hopefully this plant will go some way to addressing this.

“We are aware of the issues over traffic but the site was being used before by lorries without any restrictions. As a result we've tried to improve this and we have a number of traffic management criteria that we have to adhere to - such as routing away from villages and specific hours of operation.

“We also understand noise and smell are a concern but these will now be contained within an enclosed building, whereas the current structure is more open. We also have state of the art odour treatment equipment which will run 24 hours a day.”