Green light for controversial Eggborough waste incinerator
Plans passed despite 90 objections.
District
Plans to convert a defunct power station near Selby for use in waste incineration have been given the go-ahead by members of North Yorkshire County Council.
Members of the county's planning committee met yesterday morning at NYCC's Northallerton headquarters to approve plans that will see the former ABRE biomass plant at Eggborough become home to a waste management facility.
Once converted, the facility will process up to 200,000 tonnes of municipal and commercial waste every year.
Waste burned at the site will be used as a source of renewable energy through a process known as Advanced Thermal Treatment. Energy generated through the process would generate 10 Mega Watts of power, enough to provide electricity to around 18,000 homes.
The application has been contested by a significant number of local residents however, with around 90 official objections lodged against the project with county planners.
County Councillor John McCartney (Ind) opposed the scheme. He told TheSelebian, "North Yorkshire's planning committee simply do not care about our area. They are content to pass anything as long as it does not impact on them or their areas. Although I spoke against the proposal and urged the committee to reject it, the majority of Conservative councillors on the Committee nodded it through.
"Drenl say that their proposal will create 40 permanent jobs on the site but the reality is that the current users of the site, Hargreaves Haulage already employ more people on the site and that and if they move off site and out of the Selby District this will mean a net loss of employment in the District."
Cllr McCartney's wife Mary sits on Selby District Council as ward member for Eggborough (Ind) she added, "The real problem that we have about the proposal is the number of extra wagons that it will put on our already busy rural roads. 26,000 thousand people die every year from air pollution primarily from diesel fumes. This proposal will put thousands of extra HGVs on our already busy and polluting roads.
"I am extremely grateful to local North Yorkshire councillors Chris Pearson, Bob Packham and Cliff Lunn who voted with John to oppose this unwanted and un-needed application' But sadly their colleagues were not bothered after all it does not impact on the health of their residents".
Hitting back against the Eggborough councillors' claims, Committee member Cllr Andrew Lee (Con, Cawood and Saxton), said, "The North Yorkshire County Council Planning Committee is apolitical and bases it's decisions on material planning considerations. A sufficient number of the committee members, based on evidence supplied by the applicant and planning officers, voted in favour of approving the plans for an energy from waste facility to be located on an existing industrial site in Eggborough.
"Contrary to the suggestions made by Cllr John McCartney, the planning committee does not make arbitrary decisions nor do the members 'nod' through applications. It is worth pointing out that the Conservative Selby District councillors who sit on the planning committee spoke against and voted against the application along with Cllr McCartney and the Labour member."