There are so many concerns about the impact of a proposed geothermal power plant near an environmentally sensitive Cornish river that a council committee has deferred making a decision. Councillors have called for more technical details of what was described by one resident as a “crazy application”.

Cornish company Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) has applied to Cornwall Council to develop a deep geothermal renewable energy scheme at Tregath, between Slaughterbridge and Camelford. The project essentially involves a phased development with drilling of two deep geothermal wells and resource testing before the construction of a power plant. The drill rig mast expected to be used will be a maximum of 55 metres in height.

The plant is planned to be operational for 50 years and will supply surplus electricity to the National Grid, with a gross generating capacity of around 4.9MW of electricity and around 20MW of thermal energy – the equivalent of powering and heating more than 11,000 homes.

River Camel Valley and Tributaries Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the River Camel Special Area of Conservation (SAC) both lie about 150 metres to the south east of the site, which is also within the Camel River Catchment Area.

In 2021, Natural England highlighted phosphate pollution in the River Camel, which is affecting the SAC. This led to Cornwall Council putting a temporary pause on development in the River Camel Special Area of Conservation. Despite this, neither Natural England nor the Environment Agency opposed the geothermal plan and the development was recommended for approval by Cornwall Council’s planning department.

The matter was brought before a strategic planning committee meeting by local member Cllr Mark Burnett (Lib Dem, Camelford and Boscastle) due to concerns relating to the impact on the character of the area and environmental effects.

Resident David Stark told the committee: “Throughout the whole process GEL and their agents have been allowed to mark their own homework and have effectively said ‘there is nothing to see here’. Unfortunately the planning officers have agreed and the Environment Agency and Natural England have deferred to this, placing extra burden on you to get this decision right.”

Andrew Macleod, who owns land adjacent to the site, aired concerns about the effects on the River Camel SSC and SSSI. “A vote to refuse this application is the only possible way to preserve the beauty and tranquility of the environmentally sensitive landscape.”

He told the meeting his family have been custodians of a stretch of the River Camel near the application site for the past 113 years, adding: “It’s not my river, it’s our river, every one of us. We are just passing through, it’s on your heads what you do with it.”

Will Page, representing GEL, said the development would help move Cornwall closer to its Net Zero target. He said geothermal projects in Cornwall would not impact agricultural land and their power plants are low impact, with no emissions, steam or smell arising from them. He added that new planting would reduce any visual impact over the medium to long term.

Mr Page said that all regulatory requirements had been met and none of the major consultees had objected to the proposal. He added that concerns raised by some individuals concerning potential contamination of groundwater were “unfounded”.

He disagreed with comments about a lack of public consultation, saying that representatives from GEL had attended 19 events and appointments with the local community.

Cllr Burnett told the meeting: “I don’t believe this is a case of nimbyism, the community accepts the need for green energy solutions, but some of the comments reflect a real concern for the environment.”

Cllr Adrian Parsons (Liberal Democrat , Altarnun and Stoke Climsland) questioned why the council decided there wasn’t the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). “Knowing the sensitivity of the area, I would have thought this was an important ask. I find it an incredible situation.”

He was told that the decision by officers that the proposal didn’t meet the test for EIA regulations was backed up by the Secretary of State following a challenge by a third party. Natural England hadn’t raised any concerns during the process either.

Cllr Andrew Long (Mebyon Kernow, Callington and St Dominic), who said it was among the biggest decisions the council would make in a decade “so we have to make sure we get it right”, added: “I’m struggling to understand why carrying out an EIA wouldn’t be suitable in this case irrespective of what the Secretary of State says, due to the level of concern.”

“Sometimes you don’t always know what you have until you’ve lost it,” added Cllr Parsons. “This to me is a very tricky application in what I would consider to be a very sensitive area. The Camel Estuary is a special area of conservation. We also have a SSSI in the area and have incredible issues with phosphates in the Camel Estuary – there’s an element of not creating any adverse impact to those waters.

“We now have two wells being drilled into the ground 150 yards adjacent to the Camel river. For all the will and good of what the applicants have said, I genuinely do not believe this is the right location. We have mining sites throughout Cornwall where the impact on the environment has already been made. We are now effectively breaking into new ground with this site. If there is an issue or something goes wrong, the impact will be on the river.”

Cllr Peter Channon (Reform UK, Hayle West) said the committee didn’t have the full picture. “I’d liked to see this debated with proper questions being answered by both sides. It’s a highly technical situation, which it seems to me we’re not fully briefed on to make a decision.”

Cllr Channon asked for a deferral for a full technical briefing, while Cllr James Ball (Independent, Camborne Roskear and Tuckingmill), proposed refusal on the grounds of impact to the environment and landscape. A vote for deferral was won by six votes in favour and three against.