Nottinghamshire County Council recommended to approve plans for a controversial incinerator at Bilsthorpe

Members of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Planning and Licensing Committee will consider the application for the proposed plant at Bilsthorpe Business Park, off Eakring Road at a meeting tomorrow Tuesday 18th November – with planning officers recommending councillors approve the application subject to conditions.

Developers say the proposed Bilsthorpe Energy Centre (BEC) could bring a £4.3 million annual economic boost to Nottinghamshire, creating up to 46 jobs along with some 330 construction jobs and creating supply chain opportunities whilst diverting waste from landfill and using it to generate low-carbon energy.

But Newark and Sherwood District Council planning committee has voted against the plans and residents campaign group RAGE (Residents Against Gasification Experiment), have said the plant would be an ‘industrial monstrosity’,

The recommendation follows a review of an extensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and supporting information, submitted as part of the application.

Richard Barker, Development Manager at Peel Environmental, said: “We hope councillors will agree that the Bilsthorpe Energy Centre represents an opportunity to deliver significant investment, job creation and energy infrastructure in Nottinghamshire.

“We cannot afford to shy away from the real need for new waste infrastructure in the county.

“Nottinghamshire faces a challenge with dwindling landfill capacity due to the closure of two existing sites.

“Current plans are to send some 120,000 tonnes of municipal waste to out of county facilities for treatment.

“The Bilsthorpe Energy Centre is a carefully considered development on an existing Business Park. There is no question, that if approved it will provide a valuable contribution to managing some of the 1.47 million tonnes created by businesses in the county.”

If consented, the BEC would use two processes to recover valuable recyclable materials from residual (left after recycling) waste and export up to 9.6MW of electricity to the National Grid - enough to power the average needs of 23,000 homes.

It is proposed that the BEC will accept commercial, industrial and potentially household waste from Nottinghamshire and the surrounding areas.

The developers say Nottinghamshire would see a number of further significant benefits if the Energy Centre is built, according to a report by economists Regeneris, including the creation of 330 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) construction jobs and 46 FTE jobs once in operation.

They say the BEC would also generate around £800,000 annual spend on goods and services in Nottinghamshire, as well as an estimated £300,000 spend in the local economy on food, drink and accommodation during construction.

The economic benefits of the project have been recognised by the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce (DNCC), who have written in support of the project.

Richard Barker added:

“We have been thorough and extensive in our approach to this project and have considered every aspect of the Bilsthorpe Energy Centre’s construction and operation. The economic and environmental benefits are tangible and we hope councillors recognise this when making their decision.”

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District council votes to reject Bilsthorpe incinerator plans

http://www.chad.co.uk/news/local/district-council-votes-to-reject-bilsthorpe-incinerator-plans-1-6893194