The protest against plans for an animal carcass rendering plant at Hopwood has been gathering momentum with a series of public meetings across the area.
Hopwood Against Rendering Movement (Harm) organised the meetings to raise public awareness and saw packed houses at both Waterside Orchard, Hopwood, and St Andrew’s church hall, Barnt Green.
The main speakers at both meetings were Hopwood resident Jeremy Roberts, one of Harm’s founders, retired Barnt Green doctor Tony Armond and Coun Brian Fuller, who has political responsibility for environmental issues at Bromsgrove District Council.
Mr Roberts explained that the group had decided to focus all of its attention on the planning application to Worcestershire County Council by Mayfield Farm Ltd for the chimney it needs to operate a large-scale rendering plant processing as much as 100 tonnes of animal parts every day.
The chimney is needed for the “thermal oxidiser” which would burn off 95 per cent of any chemical pollutants before they are pushed into the atmosphere. Mr Roberts said Harm’s research showed anyone within a 1.3 mile radius of the plant could expect to experience the effects from these emissions, bringing in Barnt Green, Alvechurch and Cofton Hackett.
“It is not just a Hopwood problem,” he said. “We have been talking to estate agents in the area and they are of the opinion that up to 25 per cent of the value of your house will be knocked off, depending on the proximity of your property to the factory.”
Mr Roberts added: “We are focusing on the chimney because if that application fails, the rest of it is academic and it will all fail. No chimney, no rendering plant – just green fields.”
Dr Armond warned that the chimney emissions as listed in Mayfield Farm’s application documents included mercaptans. These could have an intolerable odour, according to textbooks, and attach to molecules in the hair and skin, where they remained until your body replaced those molecules.
“I’m not against rendering plants or their processes, but for health reasons I believe they should be sited well away from where people live,” he added.
Coun Fuller said the whole of Bromsgrove District Council was against the rendering plant “except perhaps one member who is a bit ambivalent.”
He added: “The planning committee has registered a very strong objection with the county council and many of us have spoken to our colleagues at the county council and said we do not want this thing here at any price.”
Coun Fuller said he had been told the county was due to make its decision during September, but that the date kept shifting backwards.