Controversial waste facility near Knaresborough community funding tops half a million

The Allerton Waste Recovery Park (AWRP) went operational in March this year after a long legal battle over its opening.

The £1.2bn facility was challenged by people living in the area, who tried to take the decision of North Yorkshire County Council to approve the plans to a judicial review.

After the legal fight ended the developer, Amey, entered into a Section 106 agreement with the council, which set up the Landscape and Cultural Heritage Fund (LCHF) to distribute funds to projects in the local area.

Projects and community groups submit bids for funding and, at regular intervals, the proposals are judged on their merits and awarded some or all of the money they asked for.

On Friday, the Business and Environmental Services Corporate director and Executive Members meeting approved the latest round of projects to be granted funding, bringing the total amount handed out to £588,235.50.

The latest round of projects to benefit included £8,870 for the Friends of Great Ouseburn School to create an outdoor classroom and sensory area in the school playground, £8,087.50 to support the Ouse Beck Wetland Himalayan Balsam Removal Project and £4,479 to install electrical equipment to power the clock and chimes at St Bartholomew’sParochial Church Council.

The fund was launched in October 2015 and, before Friday 49 projects had received funding comprising of 26 small grants (£23,669), 8 medium grants (£64,646) and 15 large grants (£476,809).

The AWRP is a ‘Waste to Energy’ plant which will increase the amount of recyclable materials which are removed from household waste in North Yorkshire and York, in turn cutting the amount of rubbish sent to landfill by 90%.

Some of the electricity created will be used at Allerton Waste Recovery Park but the majority will be exported to the National Grid, the equivalent of 40,000 homes each year.