SPARSHOLT College has assured residents that its proposed green energy plant will respect traffic in neighbouring villages.

Around 100 people attended a consultation for a planned anaerobic digester last Thursday, quizzing experts and viewing early drawings.

The facility, dubbed the Green Gas Mill and costing at least £10 million, is set to use grass and rye to provide clean energy for the college and local gas grid.

The college strongly contests claims by green campaigner Douglas Paterson that thousands of trucks will travel from a wide catchment area to serve the plant.

Developer Ecotricity hopes to cut the number of peak time deliveries from the latest estimate of 42 per day, or around 6,400 across the May to September harvest.

And the college denies extra traffic will cause congestion on the junction of Westley Lane and the B3049 because it is currently at half the capacity needed for council chiefs to order roadworks.

Grass and maize will be supplied from farms within a 15-mile radius of the college, stretching to Four Marks, Salisbury and the North Wessex Downs.

Tractors and tankers will be forced to enter via main roads rather than cutting through the village, where many residents are concerned about increased congestion on single track roads.

Ecotricity planning consultant Tim Pope said: "We're very, very aware of the sensitivity of traffic, particularly through Sparsholt village. Some of those concerns have been relayed today. We understand those, which is why we've spent quite some time looking at the potential management of control of traffic to this site.

"Delivery drivers will not be allowed to come across to the site through Sparsholt village. Ecotricity don't want their suppliers sitting there [in traffic] wasting money."

Routes will be enforced by planning conditions and minor roadworks making large vehicles turn onto Stockbridge Road, Mr Pope added.

A full planning application with detailed proposals is expected in the next month.

It comes as part of a multi-million pound roll-out of renewable facilities across campus, training students to emerging industry standards and improving the college's carbon footprint.

Principal Tim Jackson said: "The whole concept comes from something that strategically we set in motion some years ago. We're always looking into the future and where jobs and careers are going, so that rather than wait and be reactive to the market – while we do that as well – we want to be proactive in looking at new and emerging areas where skills are going to be required."