A parish council and local residents have raised objections to approved plans for a bio-fuel station in Swindon on the grounds that it poses an "obvious fire and explosion risk".

Swindon Borough Council's planning committee has granted planning permission for the filling station for lorries to be built on Purley Road, Liddington, just off the Commonhead Roundabout to the south-east of Swindon.

The committee had previously been recommended to approve the application submitted by transport specialist CNG Fuels, who say the "biomethane" fuel to be dispensed at the site will be "sustainable and 100 per cent renewable".

However, several parties remain far from convinced that the station will be a benefit to the local community.

Recommended reading

Previous concerns had been raised regarding the site's location in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and the possible influx of slow-moving HGVs on Purley Road, which has a speed limit of 60 miles per hour.

But a more pressing matter for Liddington Parish Council is the flammability of the bio-fuel station, which has prompted the authority to consider appealing the planning committee's verdict.

Andrew Poppleton, Vice-Chair of Liddington Parish Council, said: "The Parish Council has taken legal advice and is reviewing the options for challenging the approval decision, given the new facility will be built on National Landscape (AONB) land.

"It will also impact traffic flow on the Purley Road, the Commonhead Roundabout and potentially the Great Western Hospital.

"In addition, there is the obvious fire/explosion risk, which is heightened given the proximity to the largest hospital in Wiltshire, which unusually only has one route in or out."

Great Western Hospital can be found on Marlborough Road, directly to the west of the Commonhead Roundabout and adjacent to the approved bio-fuel site on Purley Road.

A spokesperson for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they were "currently reviewing" the approved plans to "assess whether there would be any impact on the day-to-day running" of the hospital.

Peter Eves is a retired senior fire officer and fire engineer who is now the Coate (Badbury Park) Residents Working Group coordinator, and he is concerned that not enough has been done to mitigate a potential fire hazard.

Mr Eves said that upon reviewing all the documents connected with the application on the council's planning portal, he could find no reference to a fire risk assessment being submitted as part of the application.

He added that this would mean the planning committee's members would not have been made aware of the potential impact the bio-fuel station would have on the surrounding area, and in particular, the hospital.

However, a spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council said: "The decision has been made and any representations made during the consultation period by consultees or residents were reported to the Committee.

"The decision to grant planning permission was made by the Committee in the knowledge of all the concerns raised."

The new station will include the installation of 12 new fuel dispenser islands supported by a plant compound to contain three compressors, ground gas storage units, air coolers and a trailer bay with space for two HGVs.

There will also be two parking spaces with electric vehicle chargers, with a new road surface also to be laid comprising asphalt, concrete and loose gravel.

Planning officers had recommended that the committee approve the plans on the grounds that the need for an ecological fuelling site was more important than landscape, traffic and flooding considerations.

In approving the proposal, council planners included the condition that a construction management plan be implemented to reduce the impact on the environment and traffic.

Despite locals' fire safety fears, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that an absence of their input in the planning process is not a misstep, but rather routine practice.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: "Whilst we may be consulted on certain planning applications, our ability to comment is limited to matters within our statutory remit.

"We were made aware of the Environmental Impact Assessment scoping by a third party just prior to the planning committee meeting, but have no record of a direct request for comment from the planning authority.

"In most cases, our input at the planning stage focuses on access for fire appliances and water supply for firefighting purposes.

"We would not routinely comment on the process fire hazard associated with a refuelling station, as we do not regulate this aspect of fire safety legislation, and there is an expectation that appropriate engineering controls will be incorporated into the design to mitigate the fire hazard."