Fear over £110m 'industrial' energy centre in park

An energy firm wants to build a £110m site in a riverside park in Devon.

Exeter Energy Network (EEN) has submitted plans for the energy centre on a field in Riverside Valley Park, in Exeter, next to the incinerator.

The company would use renewable energy and waste heat from the incinerator to provide a centralised heat source for a network of insulated underground hot water pipes.

A Green Party councillor has welcomed the technology but is concerned about how Exeter City Council agreed to hand over a part of the valley park for industrial use.

Exeter City Council's executive agreed to the sale of the site at a private meeting in July and then opened a public consultation on the issue from 17 December to 31 December.

The council said there had been 14 potential sites for the energy centre but the one in Riverside Valley Park was "the most suitable".

Ketchin said: "I think it's potentially a great scheme - my worry is the idea of building it on a greenfield site is potentially inappropriate.

"In essence, it's industrialisation of the Riverside Valley Park and there are potentially other sites that haven't been properly looked at.

"The advantages and disadvantages of any site need to be understood by the council before they go selling off some of their public park space."

EEN said it was "committed to restoring and actively improving natural habitats at the site over and above legal requirements following construction".

The firm said it "expected to save 13,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, with further reductions possible as the network expands".

The government has awarded £42.5m to EEN to build the heat network that would initially serve public sector and commercial buildings.

EEN said it hoped to expand the network over time and would "create green jobs and apprenticeships during its construction and operation".

Exeter City Council said the responses from the consultation in December would "form part of a disposal report to be considered by executive and full council in February 2025".

A spokesman added: "The completion of any potential sale is subject to the granting of planning consent."

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].