Woodchip-powered electricity plan

Paul Davenport, of sustainable fuel providers AHS Energy, explains how the process works

A company has submitted an application for what it says will be the country's biggest biomass plant, supplying power to 6,000 homes from wood chippings.

Sustainable fuel providers AHS Energy want to build the combined heat and power plant in Coppards Lane, Northiam.

They say it will provide 16% of all the power consumed locally in the Rother district of East Sussex.

Residents have already sent dozens of written objections to the proposal to the planning authority.

They say they fear noise and disruption from lorries bringing woodchip to the plant 24 hours a day.

Villager Conrad Freezer said there would be at least eight lorries running all the time.

He said there would be cooling fans operating right next door to people's homes as well as other disruption.

The company already supplies woodchip across the country.

The plant would be powered entirely from forestry wood chips sourced from across East Sussex and Kent.

The company says it would produce 100% renewable and sustainable carbon neutral energy.