Say NO to Acorn
Hornage Farm anaerobic digester plant
Acorn Bioenergy, a company owned by Spanish investors, has applied to Buckinghamshire County Council to build an industrial-scale anaerobic digester plant on the B4011 between Long Crendon and Oakley.
The villages of Chearsley, Chilton, Easington, Ickford, Long Crendon, Oakley, Shabbington, Worminghall and others will all be affected by this proposal.
The proposed site is Hornage Farm, part of the Aubrey-Fletcher's Chilton Estate.
January 2025
13/01/2025 LATEST UPDATE
Thank you to many of you who have been trying to object on the Bucks CC website. Unfortunately as people have experienced, the site seems to have been 'down' more than it's been working for the past few weeks. We keep letting them know, and thank you to others who have also done the same.
We have now heard that the February Strategic Sites Committee meeting has also been cancelled, so the application will not be considered in February. This means that - as a minimum - objections can be received until 7 February, but we expect that deadline to be extended further.
As per our update in the Crendon Crier and online, the Say No To Acorn group are working on the addendum to the original community objection - responding to Acorn's re-submission in December. The extended deadline means we have a bit more time to do this, but we are aiming to send it round to the community for signature hopefully by the end of January.
Some of you will have seen the feature on BBC South on Sunday 12th January 2025. Whilst of course these features are always shorter than you'd want them to be, hopefully it helped to raise awareness and was a good opportunity to link up with Greg Smith MP. Thanks to Ros Finney Paul Newell and Jo Grey for being involved with this.
December
2024
Urgent Action Is Needed
Acorn has submitted additional documents for their application, prompting Buckinghamshire Council to invite further public comments with a new deadline of 18th January 2025. While unconfirmed, it is likely the application will be reviewed at the Strategic Sites Committee meeting on 13th February 2025.
- Download and read the document below
- Submit your objection here
- IMPORTANT if you previously objected please register a new comment here (which will add to your old objection) to address Acorn's revisions, reaffirming your opposition and emphasising that the changes do not reduce the development's environmental or community impact
- Sign the community objection below
We urge you to be a signatory of the community objection to the Hornage Anaerobic Digester application
Our initial community response was submitted to Bucks CC on 22nd August 2024 (you can download this here c2ace24a-20ee-4a33-9a2b-320c1b6fe5cb)
In response to Acorn's new submissions on 19th December 2024, an updated visual impact study has been commissioned to show the impact of the AD plant on the local landscape during winter months. In addition, a further report from traffic experts is being commissioned to scrutinise and respond to Acorn’s latest data. Information from these two reports, plus any additional responses, will be submitted to Bucks CC ahead of the 18th January deadline.
To sign the community objection please complete this link:
Why shouldn't it be built?
Anaerobic digestion can be a very efficient, effective process if done at an appropriate scale in the right location, providing a means of converting animal manure into energy. However, the Acorn proposal at Hornage Farm is the wrong size of plant in the wrong location, and will have many negative impacts, both on the environment and our local communities.
- The plant could lead to a staggering 150% increase in HGV traffic through our local villages – one HGV passing through Long Crendon AND Oakley every three minutes at peak times.
- The five, 17m high biodigester tanks will be seen from up to 10 miles away and have a huge visual impact on the surrounding countryside and villages.
- 15 acres of agricultural land would be covered with concrete, with a substantial industrial plant built on top, affecting our countryside’s natural beauty and ecology.
- Agricultural land will be converted from food crops to grow crops specifically to feed the Anaerobic Digester. This would be against the upcoming DEFRA Land Use Strategy (2024), with negative impact on food security.
- Crops and slurry will be delivered by road from considerable distance. Biogas produced will be taken by truck to sites such as Southampton or Banbury.
Acorn's application is currently being considered by the Buckinghamshire County Council's Strategic Sites Committee and is in the consultation phase. The committee will likely review it at their meeting in February 2025.
Local Parish Councils, including Long Crendon, Oakley, Chearsley, Worminghall, and Chilton, have all submitted objections to the proposal.
Community action is needed
Join Our Mailing List
Whether you want to be kept informed of our progress, important dates, or offer your help. Please complete the form to get on board.
Donate
Contribute to the Fighting Fund: Help us cover the cost of commissioning traffic and visual impact assessments, plus produce campaign materials. Any contribution, no matter how small, is appreciated.
The impact of the proposed development on our local communities
How could this impact our lives?
If the Hornage Farm plant is built, it will affect us in many different ways, including:
- Reduced property values
- Less safe roads for children and adults
- More potholes from increased HGV traffic
- Reduced air quality, with potential for respiratory/ allergy issues
- Increased noise pollution, building vibrations and unpleasant odours
- Loss of local nature and wildlife
- Loss of visual amenity in an Area of Attractive Landscape (AAL)
- Risk of toxic waste pollution to nearby waterways
Photos showing location, traffic and visual impact of the digester to the surrounding villages
Want to help or have questions?
Say No to Acorn is a group of residents from across villages that will be affected by Acorn's proposal. We are all pooling our skills and resources to stand up for our villages and communities. We are contributing skills we have built up from a range of backgounds including planning, sustainability, media, communications, parish council and the civil service. We have an amazing bunch of volunteers from all walks of life delivering leaflets, and, if you are reading this, you are also part of our community and we thank you. The crowdfunding campaign is being managed specifically by Alex Davis and Ros Finney, both Long Crendon residents. This page will be kept up to date with all expenditure documented publicly on the crowdfunding site. Anyone who would like further information around the financial governance of this campaign please contact hello@ADimpact.info
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