Telford and Wrekin Council unanimously reject Sita’s waste incinerator proposal
In an article entitled Telford & Wrekin Council rejects Granville incinerator the BBC reports from the planning committee meeting as all eight members of the Plans Board voted to reject Sita’s Granville incinerator proposal.
Telford & Wrekin Head of Planning Michael Barker took two hours and five minutes to outline his recommendations – concluding that, on-balance, councillors should reject the application.
Mr Barker claimed the incinerator is unnecessary for the treatment of local waste and that it would be bad for the look of the area. He suggested that there are better sites elsewhere in Telford.
Mr Barker believed an incinerator at Granville would prevent the council from developing the area in the way they want in the future, and that it could have an impact on Telford’s existing recycling plans.
According to BBC Shropshire’s Andy Giddings, the recommendation to councillors from council officers is to refuse Sita UK planning permission for five main reasons:
- it’s not needed for the treatment of local waste;
- it would be bad for the look of the area;
- it would prevent them from developing the area in the way they want in the future;
- it could have an impact on Telford’s existing recycling plans; and
- there are better sites elsewhere.
Robert Saunders, Co-ordinator of Telford Friends of the Earth, said:
We congratulate the Plans Board councillors for this positive decision to reject an incinerator and their comments supporting a move to far higher levels of recycling and composting.
The report made by Michael Barker, Head of Planning & Transport, highlighted the Council’s intentions to significantly increase recycling and the opportunity to treat food waste in an anaerobic digester.
We are however concerned at comments that there are preferable sites elsewhere in Telford. Telford Friends of the Earth opposes incineration at any location in Telford & Wrekin and also Shropshire.
We positively support introducing a weekly food waste collection service in Telford for anaerobic digestion – enabling the sustainable production of heat and power and also a soil conditioner that can benefit our local farmers.
The Council report highlighted the development of new anaerobic digestion capacity locally, for example at Gnosall, Staffordshire, and Harper Adams, Edgmond.
Friends of the Earth has been campaigning locally for many years to boost recycling and composting rates to levels that are already achieved elsewhere in Britain and abroad.
Please note the coverage in the Shropshire Star which anticipated the Plans Board decision.
Vision 2026
It is worth keeping in clear view the Telford & Wrekin Partnership refreshed Vision 2026 for “a sustainable green community”:
We want the Borough to lead the way as a ‘green community’ following the principle of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. It will be a place with the highest quality sustainable environment…and local communities are living a more sustainable way of life. Our approach to recycling and the reuse of materials will make us a national leader – a zero-waste community.
The Shropshire star is reporting Joy as burner bid is binned as:
Thousands of campaigners were celebrating today after winning their battle against controversial plans for an incinerator in Telford.
Planners last night unanimously threw out the Sita UK scheme for the waste plant saying it was in the wrong place and would ruin the landscape. The proposals were for an energy-from-waste plant to run 24 hours, seven days a week, next to the Granville landfill site at Redhill. The incinerator would have dealt with 62,000 tonnes of waste.
