'Serious concerns' raised over approved plans for Shireoaks waste recycling plant
A decision by Nottinghamshire County Council to approve plans for a plastic recycling centre and energy recovery facility in Worksop is being challenged by the Bassetlaw MP and two campaign groups, who claim that information provided at the planning meeting was "inaccurate or misleading”.
Bassetlaw MP Jo White, UKWIN and SRAPP (Shireoaks and Rhodesia Against Plastic Pyrolysis) have written to Nottinghamshire County Council following a meeting of its planning committee earlier this month, with concerns over their belief that ‘misleading or incorrect information on compliance with planning policy, harms and benefits of the scheme were incorrectly conveyed to the committee, meaning they were not able to make an informed decision’.
A spokesperson for UKWIN, a national campaign group of anti-incineration campaigners, said: "It is vital that planning committees are provided with the information they need to make an informed decision.
"In this case, we are concerned that committee members were given incorrect, incomplete, and/or misleading information and so we want the matter to be returned to the committee so they can give further consideration to this scheme.
"We have concerns that the proposal's benefits were overstated, while harms were understated, and insufficient consideration was given to non-compliance with key planning policies.
"We maintain our objection to this proposal, and believe that the correct result is that it be refused.
"However, if it is to be approved then more consideration needs to be given to planning conditions to give the Council more power to take enforcement action in the event of future problems."
Despite having been voted for by a majority of Planning and Rights of Way Committee members, the plans have yet to be approved fully, he added.
A Decision Notice has yet to be issued, as the Planning Casework unit, on behalf of the Secretary of State, is considering whether or not to call-in the application. If the SoS does call in the application then it would be subject to a planning inquiry at some point next year.
Furthermore, said the spokesman, a Section 106 agreement needs to be signed to help pay for monitoring of the Biodiversity Ned Gains before planning permission can be issued.
He added: "The main issues we have relate to the incineration facility, which is one element of the application. The application is not simply for a recycling facility, and indeed much of the proposal's claimed recycling is actually just sorting for onward reprocessing elsewhere".
Campaigners' concerns, summarised in letters to Nottinghamshire County Council, relate to 'officers' assurances about the need for additional incineration capacity and compliance with Policy SP6; advice restricting Members' consideration of emissions; an unanswered question about a neighbouring industrial development; and statements about the maturity of the proposed pyrolysis process'.
Further matters concern answers given on the traffic comparison used to reassure members, and nighttime noise, which are matters they feel deserve particular scrutiny following such a close vote.
The UKWIN spokesperson added: "We want the Council to go back to the planning committee with corrections to see if it changes their view on the 6-5 decision to approve, or whether they want to require the applicant to provide additional information, or for the Council to introduce additional planning conditions.”
A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesperson said: “Officers can confirm receipt of the letters from Jo White MP, UKWIN and SRAPP and are looking into the matters raised. A response will be provided in due course.”