Plans by the Aberdeenshire beer giant Brewdog to make its Ellon headquarters more environmentally friendly have been recommended for approval by council officers.
The craft brewers submitted an application to Aberdeenshire Council last year seeking to make an anaerobic digestion plant – which breaks down bacteria in an eco-friendly manner – along with a water treatment plant, an energy generation centre and a CO2 recovery plant, as part of its efforts to lower its Balmacassie Commercial Park brewery impact on the planet.
The new development, if approved by councillors, would be located just north of the existing site across the A948 Ellon to Auchnagatt road.
Brewdog said the proposal is part of a £14 million project to “make the brewery the world’s most sustainable drinks company”.
A total of 41 objections have been lodged against the brewery’s plans, from individuals raising a number of concerns including the impact of the development on the countryside, noise, odours and impact on local infrastructure due to more vehicles in the area.
However, in a report which will go before councillors at next week’s Formartine Area Committee, officers have urged members to back the development.
The report by Aberdeenshire Council’s head of planning and environment service Paul Macari said the proposal is “in-keeping with the adjacent industrial developments in design terms, and is of a less significant scale”.
Mr Macari also explained the planning service is “satisfied there would be no significant impacts in terms of noise or odour or any other impacts upon local residential amenity or the surrounding area in terms of foul water disposal, flooding, environmental impacts, impacts on protected wildlife, and access for servicing”.