Rural residents riled by HGV carnage on country lanes near Colsterworth

Image of Gunby Road, Stainby, Courtesy of the Block BLOCK campaign 

The UK’s largest manufacturer of biomethane, Future Biogas, has incensed villagers in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. Under the name Ironstone Energy, Future Biogas wants to manufacture biomethane in fields on the historic Buckminster Estate, between a hamlet, Gunby, and small village, Sewstern. 

This would result in a seismic change to traditional, local harvesting practices, including because crops would ‘fuel’ this manufacturing process, rather than going into the food chain. Also this process relies on 100s of the maximum permitted size of HGVs. Residents in Sewstern and Gunby, as well as the neighboring small village of Stainby, described the impact of the HGVs during Ironstone’s crop collection last November.

Image of Gunby Road, Stainby, taken about 400 metres from the image above, Courtesy of Block BLOCK campaign 

One resident said, “Normally, harvesting is an intense time but we’re used to that and accept it; it lasts for a few days a year and is part of country living. But oh my days! Ironstone’s ‘mini harvest’ was a different kettle of fish. They brought in extra huge combines to strip the maize, and we lost count of the HGVs. Local lanes couldn’t cope, especially the single track ones that don’t have passing places.

It was carnage: large lorries parked up, blocking lanes and obstructing other traffic. They even had a lorry parked across the road while it was being filled up.

The most worrying event saw an HGV tailback spill onto the B676, the main road between Melton and the A1. If this factory complex gets built, these problems would increase because Ironstone has earmarked farms from up to 15 miles away to be involved. This means more and more HGVs coming our way, to deliver crops, and take away biodigestate and carbon dioxide. These HGVs would be causing hazards everyday of the year!” 

A  Stainby resident added “Ironstone Energy would effectively be making local lanes part of their industrial energy plant production site. They need to rethink this deplorable plan!”

Such concerns have led to the formation of a campaign group called Block BLOCK, which stands for Block Biogas Location in Open Countryside in Kesteven. 

A campaign member of BLOCK said, “This is such an inappropriate location. Surely it would make more sense to build an HGV reliant business close to a major road network?”.

You can find out more about the campaign and how to object to these plans at www.blockbiogasplant.co.uk. You don’t have to live in or near to Sewstern, Stainby and Gunby to object.

Every adult UK resident has the right to do so.