Anger as planners back waste plant

The blueprints to build the £250m facility have sparked an outcry from communities near the proposed site between York and Harrogate, whose concerns have been echoed by MPs and district councillors.

But North Yorkshire County Council’s planning officers have recommended the hugely contentious scheme, which would be built on the existing Allerton Park quarry, should be approved.

A 386-page planning application was published yesterday, almost two years since the council gave a 25-year contract worth £1bn to run the plant to AmeyCespa. The council’s planning and regulatory functions committee will meet on October 30 to make one of the biggest planning decisions in the county in recent years.

Members of the North Yorkshire Waste Action Group (NYWAG) have already raised fears the council’s decision to award the contract to AmeyCespa in December 2010 is a clear indication the planning application will be given the go-ahead.

And NYWAG spokesman Bob Schofield claimed yesterday that the planning officers’ recommendation to approve the application was further proof that the scheme is a done deal.

Mr Schofield said campaigners are now pinning their hopes on the development being called in by the Government for a public inquiry if the proposals are approved by the council.

He said: “There seems to be a democratic deficit here, as there has been so much opposition from the public along with MPs and Harrogate Borough Council. We are far from confident that councillors on the planning committee will take into account the views and opinions of people who are opposing this scheme. We have always said that the authority should not be deciding on an application that relates to a £1bn contract that councillors have already given their backing to.”

But the council stressed the decision on whether the waste plant is approved rests solely with the members of the planning and regulatory functions committee.

A spokeswoman said councillors have previously gone against the recommendations of officers when deciding on planning applications, and added: “During the meeting the committee will review the report and take into account all material planning considerations before making its recommendation based on the evidence presented to it.”

The new plant, which is a joint venture between the county council and York Council, is aimed at ensuring both authorities reach a target of recycling at least 50 per cent of waste by 2020. It will use mechanical sorting and anaerobic digestion to produce green energy, although the incinerator is the most contentious element of the overall scheme, which is projected to save taxpayers up to £320m over 25 years.

Campaigners and politicians including Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams and his Parliamentary colleague Andrew Jones, who represents the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, have claimed the financial model for the development is deeply flawed. They maintain that the £1bn contract is too rigid as new technologies could be developed to supersede the waste plant.

But council officials have claimed the plant is vital to avoid millions of pounds in fines for waste ending up in landfill.

They stressed that keeping the status quo is not an option after the Government announced landfill taxes will rise by 50 per cent by 2015.

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