Ludlow Residents Invited to Question Council Leader on Proposed Biochar Plant

Local residents are encouraged to attend an open session to learn more about a proposal for an energy-from-waste facility. Shropshire Council plans to convert a disused anaerobic digester located on Coder Road in Ludlow into a facility that would produce biochar, a type of charcoal. According to local councillor Andy Boddington, the council intends to file a planning application for this project within the current month. The upcoming meeting, scheduled for Wednesday at Ludlow’s library between 14:00 and 19:30 GMT, will detail the proposed scheme and allow members of the public to ask questions. Lezley Picton, the leader of the authority, is expected to be present at the event. The anaerobic digester, which previously processed leftover food into compost and biogas for heat and electricity generation, ceased operations in 2012. Biochar is defined as a form of charcoal derived from wood, residual crops, and agricultural waste, primarily utilized for enhancing soil quality as an environmentally friendlier substitute for conventional fertilizers. Mr. Boddington clarified that the envisioned plant would process forest and agricultural vegetation, explicitly excluding food waste or manure. In October, Beverley Waite, the town’s mayor, stated that “it seemed the decision to go ahead had already been taken.” Mark Foxall, a waste official from Shropshire Council, affirmed that the standard planning process would nonetheless be followed.