Fears that new Anglesey smokery will have ‘distressing’ impact

Halen Môn has revealed plans for a purpose-built unit at its Brynsiencyn site, which will house production, packaging, and storage facilities.

But those living in Brynsiencyn say they have been left “extremely distressed” about the matter, following a meeting with a director of Halen Môn earlier this week, with smoke emitted from Halen Môn’s current smokery having already caused issues.

Frankie Hobro, director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, said: “Our community’s concerns were further inflamed by the actions of Halen Môn which immediately followed.

“Specifically, misleading and unsettling letters posted through the doors of several neighbours in the immediate vicinity of the industrial smokery site, and an immediate press release from Halen Môn proudly announcing that they are starting work on increasing the size of their smokery to cater for increased demand for production, in line with planning permission which was granted in July 2022.

“Halen Môn will be constructing a separate, larger industrial unit on their premises here, in a location designated as a place of outstanding natural beauty, rather than using a brownfield site, of which there are many options elsewhere.

“During the meeting, it became clear that Halen Môn are starting to build a new, larger industrial smokery on their site in line with planning permission consent which was granted in July 2022 without being presented to the local community for comment.

“It was also clear that, contrary to previous suggestions, Halen Môn have not got any equipment in place to actively remove harmful particulates from the smokery emissions, and they never have had.”

Ms Hobro said residents have lived in “unbearable” conditions for months as a result of the “choking emissions”.

To open a new smokery, she added, feels like “further fuel has – literally – been added to the fire”.

She called for Halen Môn to “publicly accept that their emissions are causing distress to the local community”, meanwhile.

Halen Môn’s new smokery is set to see solar panels installed on its roof, of what will be a single-storey building, adding to its new 100kW solar electricity system installation.

Construction work is set to start this autumn, with an estimated completion in spring 2025.

In response to Ms Hobro’s comments, a Halen Môn spokesperson said: “We have worked with architects and engineers to design a new single-storey building with low visual impact, which gives us a modern and efficient facility to support a sustainable future for the business.

“As part of that design process our independent engineers and technical advisors recommended the installation of an ESP (electrostatic precipitator) which uses an electrical charge to remove particles from smoke before it is released.

“This proposed technology was accepted by the planning authority and is included as a condition of our planning consent for the new building.

“We engage independent planning professionals to ensure that any development on site is fully compliant with planning consents which was also confirmed by a recent visit from Isle of Anglesey County Council.

“The current smokery already operates well within the Welsh Air Quality Standards, and the voluntary Air Quality Guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.

“This was confirmed by daily monitoring for a full year by Isle of Anglesey County Council who concluded that ‘smoke emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance' is not in existence.

“The ESP technology which will be installed in the new building, will further significantly minimise the release of steam and smoke.

“We will continue to monitor air quality on site to ensure we continue to operate well within the Welsh Air Quality Standards.

“We are keeping all our neighbours informed about the project through a mix of letters and face to face meetings.

“We are also happy to be contacted directly with any questions about the construction project.”