A REVOLUTIONARY £23m incineration plant with a 130ft tall chimney, which could dispose of 60,000 tonnes of waste a year, is expected to face opposition from Harrogate Council when its fate is decided by North Yorkshire County Council.
BCB Environmental Management Ltd is seeking permission to demolish a former Second World War Halifax bomber hangar at Marston Business Park, Tockwith, between Harrogate and York, and build an "energy from waste" plant, but borough council officials a
re strongly recommending rejection of the project.
The company has supplied an Environmental Impact Assessment in support of its scheme, which would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to process 60,000 tonnes of waste. Its managing director, Phil Boardman, who says he is not a polluter but an eco-warrior, has already withdrawn an earlier plan in the face of strong local opposition.
The site, which already employs 35 people, is expected to require another 18 employees if the energy from waste scheme is approved.
Ten days ago Mr Boardman announced that the chimney included in revised plans would have to increase in height to 130ft to comply with the latest air quality standards. However, the Environment Agency's Pollution Control team leader Leigh Sayers has warned that further work will be needed on the dispersal of emissions to demonstrate that the changes would be effective before its objections might be overcome.
Mr Boardman says any emissions from the plant, which would generate enough electricity for 10,000 homes, would be cleaner than the air in any UK city. He claims it would be a world leader in diverting waste away from landfill.
Mr Boardman said: "Landfill is no longer sustainable in terms of waste management and will cost council taxpayers millions of pounds in the future if the problem is not addressed."
BCB says: "The Energy from Waste plant will play an increasingly important role in managing residual municipal solid waste, commercial and industrial waste and hazardous waste. This would have beneficial effects by increasing landfill-diversion capacity in North Yorkshire and the region and in helping to achieve the Government's objectives for reducing the role of landfill in waste management."
But borough council planning officer Neville Watson said: "Although this proposal represents an improvement over simple disposal, the impact on residential amenity by possible pollution from noise, operating hours, dust, odour and air quality are all matters of concern.
"There is also concern about the impact of the development on the general environment of the business park. Although waste is already brought to the adjoining site, the majority of municipal and hazardous waste arises in urban areas and unrelated to this rural site.
"There is concern about the amount of traffic generation that would result from this development that may have an impact on the highway network and on residential amenity."
Mr Watson said the incinerators would be located within the proposed new building and therefore their visual impact would be limited but the building itself would be substantial. He also has concerns about the height of the chimney, now revised to 110ft. "Such a chimney stack would be visually intrusive over a wide area," he said.
When Harrogate's planning committee meets on Tuesday, Mr Watson will recommend a strong objection to North Yorkshire County Council which will determine the application later in the year.
