Saga continues over animal rendering plants

The saga over two animal rendering plants near Lincoln continues as both residents and applicants anticipate what the final decision will be from the local authority.

Two applications have been submitted for sites in both Norton Disney and Skellingthorpe.

But the plans have been criticised by both councillors and local residents for being “inappropriate”.

Animal rendering is the process of converting waste animal tissue such as fatty tissue, bone or even entire carcasses of animals turned away at slaughterhouses into purified fats like lard or tallow.

Plans for the rendering plant at Norton Disney.

The two proposals on the surface do the same thing, develop a rendering facility.

But, the background to the applications is different and controversial.

The first applicants, Lincoln Proteins Ltd, have submitted plans to build a plant on the Villa Farm site in Norton Disney.

The site runs next to the A46 and is in close proximity to the recently approved Lancaster Bomber gateway sculpture.

Current deigns for the Lancaster Bomber sculpture off the A46 (without the factory)

Yet, their current facility is the same plant which second applicants Leo Group Ltd are looking to upgrade at Jerusalem Farm, Skellinghtorpe, which gained the unfortunate name of ‘Smelly Skelly’.

Lincoln Proteins are looking to pack up their operations in the village and move to Villa Farm in a move which they said would provide 130 jobs to the local economy.

The firm said that the move was due to an issue with the lease at their current site.

But the proposal did not go smoothly when around 400 local residents turned out to demonstrate against the plan.

Proposals for the Skellingthorpe animal rendering plant upgrade.

Now, further objections have been submitted by North Kesteven District Council against both plans.

The district authority is required to be consulted on the matter before Lincolnshire County Council makes a final decision on the plans.

Both sites came in for criticism from councillors during a three-hour planning meeting in Sleaford.

Photo: Jasper Weldon

Chairman, Pat Woodman, reserved her strongest words for the Norton Disney application which lands in her ward.

She said: “It’s an enormous site, it is an industrial complex,

“The first thing I want to see when I come in on the A46 is the Lancaster Bomber, not this site.

“I wish they had chosen a different site.”

But the second application did not get off lightly.

Further objections were lodged against the Skellingthorpe plan which James Birch warned would only be prolonged should councillors endorse it.

“This is not an appropriate place for a rendering plant,” he said.

“It is within walking distance of a village and in distance of Doddington Hall.

“To recommend this application go ahead would only prolong the plant.”

But, both applicants have said that efforts have been made to minimise the impact of the plants at the sites.

The ball has now landed in the county council’s court on the fate of both sites.

A decision is expected at a later date.