The so-called 'anaerobic digestion' facility - proposed for Stanley Villa Farm, in Weeton with Preese - would be powered by a combination of spud peelings from the production line next door and animal manure and crops imported from other farms. Lancashire County Council planning officers had recommended that members of the authority’s development control committee grant permission for the energy-generating kit, but councillors instead voted to visit the site first.
County Cllr Eddie Pope said that he not only wanted to see the site, but also the detail of the suggested road safety measures. A condition attached to the recommended permission required that that information be submitted for assessment and approval by highways chiefs only after the committee had reached its decision - but he said it should be presented beforehand, so that members themselves could make a judgement.