Two 25m chimney stacks at Penrith’s Omega Proteins site have been granted planning approval despite concerns over odour and pollution emissions.
The animal by-products rendering plant, which is based at Wildriggs, and operated by the Leo Group, had applied to Westmorland and Furness Council for retrospective planning permission for the two chimneys — one of which was already in use, having been built in 2022.
Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Eden local area planning committee on Wednesday, Andrew Watt, of Maze Planning Solutions — Leo Group’s planning consultant — said both applications were for the replacement of existing, outdated equipment at the Omega site.
“Two gas-powered thermal oxiders have been a feature of the site for the last 10 to 15 years or so, they have reached the end of their serviceable life and this new equipment is a direct replacement,” said Mr Watt.
He added that the new chimneys would be more efficient and reliable, which was important for odour treatment, and they would be generally better performing than the infrastructure they replaced.
“There is a good environmental and business reason for the new installations,” he said.
However, Penrith Town Council had lodged an objection to installation of the latest chimney stack, which was not yet in operation, saying: “The planning application omits any reference to reducing odour omissions.”
Addressing comments which had been made by Penrith Town Council, as part of their objection, Mr Watt said they were “perplexing”.
“Their late objection was founded entirely on the misunderstanding that somehow the business hadn’t thought about odour and odour emissions from the (chimney) stacks.
“Clearly, that’s not correct, because the emissions report deals very explicitly with those issues.
“The business knows exactly what enters the bottom of the oxidiser, how it needs to be treated, and then checks the emissions on the way out.
“It’s not an exercise that needs adjustment or needs to deal with the levels and the concentrations of Putrecine and other highly odorous compounds that (Penrith) Town Council refers to, because that’s not the correct composition of the material that’s entering the chimney.
“It’s designed very carefully and very specifically to deal with the odour streams at the site.”
Also objecting to the applications was Jeff Thomson, of campaign group Fresh Air for Penrith.
He said the two retrospective chimney applications were evidence of an “all out drive” to increase production capacity.
He said: “Residents, including myself, are worried and concerned.
“We do not know, no one has told us, what is being pumped into the air we breathe — the air above our homes — and if it is safe.”
In a plea to the councillors sitting on the planning committee, Mr Thomson added: “Before you approve another chimney or further expansion at Omega, you must guarantee the emissions and odour are safe.
“You must put the health and quality of life of residents before industry growth and profits.”
A statement was also read out from a concerned Penrith teacher who said that the chimney could be seen from her classroom and she was concerned about potential odour and pollution on health grounds.
“I would like to ask if the pollution has been analysed by any regulatory bodies?
“Me, my family and the students I teach and my colleagues are forced to breathe in the odour and possibly particles from the chimney’s excretions,” she added.
Both applications were approved by the planning committee, with councillors noting that it was the Environment Agency which had regulatory control over the site.
