Calls to expand a Pembrokeshire biomass fuel business, whose clients include Bluestone, Aberglasney Gardens, Folly Farm, schools, hospitals, and Haverfordwest Leisure Centre, have been lodged with county planners.
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, PBE Fuels Ltd, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, seeks permission for a farm diversification with two new storage sheds for bio-mass fuel and agricultural product at New House Farm, Canaston Bridge.
A supporting statement says the two sheds at the 600-acre New House Farm are required for their use by PBE Fuels Ltd, a business concerning the production of biomass fuels for a range of clients within Pembrokeshire and the adjoining counties.
It says that, among the users of biomass fuel chips are “the larger enterprises including Bluestone and the Bluestone Lagoon (across the road and very much the initiator in the bio-mass fuel business), Aberglasney Gardens, Folly Farm and a Bug Farm, care homes, schools, hospitals and hotels and the Haverfordwest Leisure Centre,” with smaller-scale users burning pellets.
It says the farm has grown from an original 250 acres to its current 600, the stone outbuildings adjacent to the farmhouse now house the administrative offices of nearby Bluestone holiday complex, with sheds to the rear of the offices used as storage for both agricultural products and in connection with the production of biomass.
It adds the two proposed sheds will be used for the dual purpose of drying and storing both cereals and biomass; the biomass converted into wood chip and pellets from forestry, and ‘wet’ wood from sawmills and smaller operations which are dried on-site.
It says PBE Fuels Ltd, which is based at New House, “is currently short of facilities for both storage for wood chip and for sawdust and for the means of drying the ‘wet’ wood and sawdust delivered to the site”.
It says operations at New House employ 14 staff, persons, calling for “the proposed expansion of this successful enterprise, which is itself a leading example of sustainability and one that supports the improved sustainability of a wide range of businesses within and adjacent to Pembrokeshire”.
In the case of Bluestone, the supporting statement says and agreement was reached back in 2005 with Mr McNamara of Bluestone who “was seeking a partner capable of providing an environmentally and economically sound solution to meet the substantial heat demand associated with the Blue Lagoon Water Park,” with permission for biomass storage granted in 2007, adding: “Nearly 20 years later, Mr Ratcliffe [one of the applicants] continues to manage the supply of dry wood chip to heat the Blue Lagoon.”
The application will be decided by county planners at a later date.
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