Worcestershire residents Against Incineration and Landfill (WAIL) represents residents in Hartlebury, Elmley Lovett and the surrounding areas. WAIL was established to object to the planning application for a waste incinerator on greenbelt land in Hartlebury, near Kidderminster, Worcestershire. This followed from an initial public meeting in January 2010 that was attended by over 400 residents, representatives of the local Parish Councils and Mr. Peter Luff, MP.
The 200,000 tonne per annum incinerator proposals are associated with Mercia EnviRecover who in turn are associated with Mercia Waste Management and Severn Waste Services, who are jointly owned by Focsa Services (UK) Ltd, who are related to the Waste Recycling Group and Urbaser Ltd.
Their planning application (available from http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/environment-and-planning/development-control/energy-from-waste-facility.aspx) was submitted to Worcestershire County Council in May 2010. To assist with this application the Council has employed the services of planning consultants Environmental Resources Management.
In 2002 Mercia’s plans for an incinerator in Kidderminster were defeated at a public inquiry. Mercia’s scoping report, dated November 2009, notes that “Hartlebury Trading Estate is identified as a Major Developed Site in the Green Belt…Accordingly, the Environmental Statement will have to demonstrate that very special circumstances exist.”
Local campaigners believe Mercia have failed to demonstrate any special circumstances, and that the application should be refused on this basis.
Additionally, WAIL’s planning objection notes that the height of the proposed building is 35 metres above ground level, i.e. 83.5 metres above ordnance datum (AOD). The existing Waresley landfill is 65 metres AOD, i.e. 17 metres above ground level. The proposed building would be twice as high as the existing landfill and at least 3 times as high as the existing buildings on the adjacent Trading Estate. The Hartlebury Trading Estate was not envisaged as an industrial estate; planning was hard won on the basis that this should be a Trading Estate and was not intended for heavy industry.
WAIL’s full planning objection is available to download from their website.
On the 19th of August 2010 Wychavon DC Planning Committee voted by 19 to 2 to formally object to this application.
To keep uo-to-date with events unfolding in Worcestershire please keep visiting WAIL’s excellent website.
