A full planning application has now been submitted to seek permission for a significant expansion of the Advanced Proteins factory in Cheddleton.

Leek Nub News reported previously how Staffordshire Moorlands District Council recently ruled that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would be required before the plans could progress, meaning a full planning application was given the green light to be submitted.

That full planning application was submitted to the district council this week and seeks permission to construct and operate a food processing facility on unused Green Belt land adjacent to the existing factory on Bones Lane.

The application states that the factory will include "innovative cutting edge technology" that will be the first in its kind in the country.

The purpose of the factory is to receive animal bones which are designated as inedible, and convert them into food grade products through a heat treatment process which separates them from their proteins and fat.

The factory itself will be comprised of several areas including a new access route, an office block, parking for 36 cars with 10 electric vehicle charging points, a main processing building with three floors, solar panels, a water tank, a pond and landscaped areas.

The application argues that the development wouldn't have any significant adverse impacts on the local area, stating: "All technical matters have been assessed and addressed and it is considered there are no significant concerns relating to trees, ecology, air quality, noise, flood risk and drainage, transport or loss of residential amenity as a result of the proposals.

"In fact, the proposals are highly sustainable and provide net gains on trees, biodiversity and carbon reduction."

However, some Cheddleton residents have objected to the plans, with the original Environmental Impact Assessment documents receiving 16 objections from the members of the public.

They cited concerns about extra traffic on local roads and more noise being produced by the factory, as well as bad smells and fumes emanating from the area.

The application on the other hand argued that a noise report found that "the rating level falls below the identified background sound level".

It adds: "Traffic on the access road is not significantly increased as a result of the development. Air quality remains at an acceptable level. Overall, residential amenity is maintained."

The district council will have the final say on the plans at a later date.