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Planners set to give go-ahead for burner despite wave of protest
Plans to build a huge waste processing facility on the edge of Doncaster could be approved by planners tomorrow despite massive opposition to the scheme.
Proposals have been submitted to Doncaster Council for a "waste gasification plant" on land off Sandall Stones Road, in the village of Kirk Sandall, north-east of the town centre.
If approved, the site would treat up to 120,000 tonnes of so-called residual waste a year through a process in which it is burned to produce gas which is then burned to generate power.
Applicant Doncaster Energy Recovery Ltd claims that around 11.2 megawatts of renewable electricity would be generated by the plant, which would be fed back into the national grid. Residual waste is refuse that cannot be recycled and it poses real issues for councils, which have been told by the Government that they must reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Doncaster Council has entered into an agreement with neighbouring Barnsley and Rotherham to identify waste treatment sites and officers hope the Kirk Sandall site may meet requirements.
In a report to the authority's planning committee, officers say: "The proposed facility would process waste materials and generate electricity on a 24-hour basis. Waste would only be accepted during daytime.
"The waste material would be sourced in the local area and would consist of material having passed through recovery centres for reuse and recycling that have been deemed to have no further use."
The report says that the waste would be processed in a building using "negative pressure" which is designed to keep odours and emissions inside before being sent to an incinerator.
The burn process would produce two products, one a gas which will then be piped to a second burner, where a combustion process would be used to drive a turbine to generate power.
A second product of the process, known as "bottom ash", could be used as an aggregate to make breeze blocks for the construction industry.
Officers say this would be removed from site and sold.
It is estimated that the proposed plant would generate around 94 heavy goods vehicle movements a day, as well as associated movements of vans and other light vehicles associated with the site.
Planners have received a petition signed by 496 people objecting to the proposal, as well as 42 letters of objection. Borough and parish councillors have also condemned the plan.
According to the report, the main issues raised by objectors relate to traffic congestion, the proximity of residential properties and schools, pollution, additional pylons and gas pipes.
Other concerns have been raised that the gasification process is an "unproven technology" and campaigners have said they are worried about vermin, odours and the possibility of an explosion.
Both Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe parish councils have objected to the application, saying alternative sites should be considered and calling for independent specialists to provide a second opinion.
Borough councillor Paul Bissett has asked to speak at tomorrow's meeting and has been an outspoken critic of the project since it was first submitted earlier in the year.
But it is unlikely that objectors will be able to stop the scheme as planning officers have advised approval of the scheme subject to a legal agreement under which the developers would pay a sum of money for local facilities.
The report concludes: "The proposal complies with all relevant policies and Government guidance in relation to the location and acceptability of advanced thermal waste treatment facilities.
"The various issues which have been raised by local residents and parish council have been resolved to the satisfaction of the relevant authorities."
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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