Pickles backs SITA Surrey gasification plant

Dubbed an Eco Park by SITA UK, which has a 25 year contract with Surrey county council, the facility will include a batch oxidisation gasification facility and an anaerobic digester which will sit alongside improved recycling and waste transfer facilities.

Now, it has been revealed that last week Mr Pickles decided not to review the application for the facility which means that Surrey county council can now grant planning permission.

A statement from Surrey today said that the Eco Park will help Surrey towards achieving its long-term aim to eliminate the use of landfill, which costs the county £600,000 every month in taxes alone while also damaging the environment.

Food waste

The Shepperton site will deal with 40,000 tonnes of food waste and 60,000 tonnes of household waste a year and is expected to generate sufficient power for thousands of homes.

Surrey county council leader David Hodge said: “This is very good news for the people of Surrey. The Eco Park will have huge financial and environmental benefits for our county.”

Members of Surrey County Council’s Planning and Regulatory Committee approved the Eco Park planning application from SITA Surrey in June 2011. The decision was then referred to the Secretary of State for consideration.

Batch oxidisation gasification involves heating waste to produce a gas which is then combusted to produce heat and steam for electricity generation.

Delighted

Gareth Phillips, planning manager at SITA UK, said: Following confirmation that the secretary of state for communities and local government will not hold a public inquiry to consider the planning application for an Eco Park at Charlton Lane, Shepperton, we are delighted that we can now move forward with the development.

Surrey needs this facility to deal with household waste in the most populated northern part of the county. Landfill tax is increasing at the rate of 8 per tonne per year and at present Surrey County Council is spending 600,000 a month on landfill tax alone.

SITA UK has made slow progress so far in developing infrastructure for its Surrey contract which was awarded in September 1999 and in 2006 agreed changes to its contract which allowed for the construction of smaller facilities, see letsrecycle.com story.

The next stage of the project is expected to be an application by SITA UK, once planning permission has been confirmed, for an environmental permit from the Environment Agency and to gain consent to divert an existing footpath, alongside the development of detailed designs. Construction is expected to get underway in autumn 2012.

Prior to that, work to improve the existing waste site, which was approved in an earlier planning application, will get underway. This is due to start in spring 2012 and will include work on the entrance to improve access to the site and ease congestion.