Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Foale.

The notes of the meeting held on 29 March 2017 were agreed as a correct record.

Nick Parsons reported that production volumes remained stable and in line with 2017 forecasts.  Operational reliability continued to be good with no significant plant breakdowns.

The mains water tank had been replaced and located to the ground level.  This is part of a phased program of removing equipment from the boiler house roof in order to replace the concrete roof.

2018 capital works were currently being formulated, and if approved, works will consist of:

·         Increased effluent cooling capacity

·         Relocation of the large flakt fan to ground level and new ducting

·         Warehouse refurbishment

·         Continued removal of redundant equipment to improve site aesthetics

A complaints summary was circulated (attached) which detailed comparisons for each quarter back to 2002.

The number of complaints received to date this year were similar to that of last year.  The Senior Environmental Technical Officer advised that complainants had acknowledged that odours had improved in recent years.

The number of complaints received by complainant and road were noted and each complainant is given a number, eg resident C1 in Bagshot Avenue has made a complaint on six occasions.

Where more than one complaint had been received on any one day, no problems had been identified. The complaints had often been reported at different times of the day.

In response to a question, it was advised that the peaks in complaints each year during the July to September period were likely due to the increase of raw material degradation during the summer, weather conditions, and that residents were outside/had windows open.

Changing to day time operations had not resulted in an increase in complaints. The factory was now predominantly running during the day but on occasions where raw material deliveries are received later in the day it will run at night to avoid holding the raw material on site.

Complaints made during the day are followed up by an officer.  This includes a visit to the resident and the factory, and feedback to the resident.   Any calls made out of hours are passed on and investigated by the factory as soon as practicably possible.  There is a procedure in place at the factory to check indicators relevant to the odour control systems and towers which can identify any problems. 

The majority of complaints are now made out of hours. This may reflect the fact that residents are more likely to be at home during the evening and at weekends.

The Senior Environmental Technical Officer reported that the factory was complying with all regulations. The chemical scrubbers do leave a residual odour which is difficult to explain to residents, but this cannot be eradicated entirely.

The Senior Environmental Technical Officer reported that there had been some discussion regarding EU guidance for animal by products being updated, but there had been no further movement on this and current best practice will remain for the foreseeable future.

The date of the next meeting would be moved, and the revised date would be advised in due course.