Opposition to Great Witchingham rendering plant plans heats up

12.00.00am GMT Thu 14th Feb 2008

James Joyce, councillor for Great Witchingham

Controversial plans to redevelop an animal waste rendering plant in Great Witchingham will meet with further resistance tomorrow when the village's county councillor makes a formal statement in opposition to the planning application.

Banham Compost's attempts to revise plans relating to the site at Clayhall Farm, Great Witchingham - between Fakenham and Norwich, have already met with fierce opposition from residents and local businesses and it is anticipated that a significant number of protesters will attend the planning meeting on Friday to demonstrate their discontentment.

Now James Joyce, the local Lib Dem councillor, says:

"I am totally opposed to this application and give my full support to all those who have spoken against it. My own knowledge of this site goes back many years, even before I became the local County Councillor. I know full well the problems that have been caused to the local residents by what has been taking place on this site and I believe they have been badly let down over the years by various authorities. Now is the time to put it right."

County council planning officers are arguing that the application in question only seeks to vary an existing permission granted by Broadland District Council in 2003 and the principle of a rendering plant on the site goes back at least 30 years. Mr Joyce plans to challenge that assumption and will present evidence that he believes shows rendering was not authorised under the existing permissions.