RESIDENTS of a rural area of South East Cornwall who “repeatedly suffer the stench” from slurry fear it will get worse if a plan for a slurry lagoon is approved.

A Cornwall Council planning committee will decide next week if the proposal on agricultural land can go ahead or not.

Applicant Richard Best wants to construct the earth-banked slurry lagoon at Hatt, near Saltash, to allow improved management of slurry for the wider farming site, providing up to five months of storage. It will come before Cornwall Council’s east area planning committee on Monday, June 9 due to concerns raised by Botus Fleming Parish Council.

These include smell, potential contamination of a water course and highways impact, specifically increased frequency of farm vehicles and concerns regarding the transportation of slurry along the local road network.

The slurry lagoon, which would measure 75 metres by 35 metres, would lie approximately 280 metres to the south west of the nearest neighbouring residential property. An odour impact assessment has been submitted and the council’s public protection team was consulted and raised no objection.

A council planning report says the scheme would not result in any significant adverse impacts to the living conditions currently enjoyed by neighbours. It recommends approval with conditions.

Slurry lagoons produce ammonia emissions which can result in harmful impacts to protected habitats and species. The proposal involves the installation of a manufactured floating liner to seal the lagoon, preventing the release of ammonia and mitigating against the potential for harmful impacts.

The site lies around 27 metres to the east of the Villaton Wood County Wildlife Site (CWS), designated for important woodland habitats. The Cornwall Wildlife Trust has been consulted and recommend that measures to ensure the protection of the CWS during construction are secured, in addition to the consideration of a long-term buffer zone of habitat next to the CWS.

Botus Fleming Parish Council has objected to the proposal. In its report to Cornwall Council, the parish authority states: “It is not clear how or from where the slurry will be transported to the site. The applicant’s farming business is in Landulph, some three miles away along very narrow country lanes.

If the slurry is to be transported from there to the lagoon in the 4,000-gallon tankers in current use, this will place yet more stress and congestion on the single-track lanes. Walkers, cyclists and horse riders will have to face yet another hazard.

“Access to the site is via a stretch of the busy A388. Current use of the site regularly results in significant and dangerous deposits of large amounts of mud and farm excrement from the vehicles entering and leaving the site. No hazard warning signs are ever placed there to warn motorists. Increased access to the site by slurry tankers will only worsen this situation.”

The parish council shared further comments: “Residents repeatedly suffer the stench from the slurry (which is inherently different to the historic smell of cow dung). They suffer the noise of large tractors pulling 4,000-gallon slurry tankers as they roar past their homes.

“Millions of gallons of slurry are spread around them each year. They suffer headaches and coughs from the air pollution that is generated around their homes, their eyes sting and they have good reasons to fear the long-term consequences for their health.

“The impact is significant upon many residents in the area and not just upon those in the immediate proximity. The stench occurs over a wide area. The increased volume of large vehicle traffic changes the ambiance of an area. The damage to roads and verges that results is highly visible. The air pollution that results and the damage to the watercourses affects the whole community.”

The Environment Agency has no objection to the application, stating: “The proposal will ensure the farm operates with sufficient storage for slurry, reducing the risk of slurry being spread to land at inappropriate times and helping to protect water quality. Nonetheless, the proposal must operate in accordance with the relevant regulations.”