Green light for West Berkshire recycling facility

But, Monday's (November 24) decision by the council's planning committee to approve the plans by eight to four has been attacked by local residents; with one campaign group claiming it may now look to challenge the approval via a judicial review.

The development, at Padworth Sidings, to the south-east of Reading, will be home to a 19,000 tonne-a-year capacity materials recycling facility (MRF) and a 29,000 tonne-a-year capacity in-vessel composting plant, as well as a waste transfer station and a 'mini' household waste and recycling centre.

It represents a major aspect of Veolia's £500 million, 25-year contract with West Berkshire council, which was signed in March 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).

The council received £28.7 million in PFI funding towards the capital costs of developing the new facilities.

Following the planning approval, Keith McGurk, Veolia's general manager for West Berkshire, said: “This vital facility will provide a long-term solution to handling West Berkshire's recycling and waste management needs.

“It will cater for the full spectrum of household waste and will enable us to meet the high targets we have for increasing recycling and reducing landfill,” he added.

Veolia is aiming to increase the council's recycling rate from the 22% achieved in 2006/07 to at least 49% in the long-term, as well as diverting 79% of waste from landfill.

Opposition

However, the decision to build the facility at the Padworth Sidings site has faced opposition by local residents, who have criticised the impact it will have on the local area and the decision-making process for the planning application.

In a statement, Graham Newman, chairman of the Padworth Against the Waste Site (PAWS) group, said: “This is a huge disappointment, but not altogether unexpected.

“It was clearly a foregone conclusion, and the voting – on strictly party lines – only served to underline this,” he added.

Attacking the councillors who approved the application, Mr Newman said: “They are our elected representatives and have a duty to spend our money wisely, not profligately in order to own an asset on spurious grounds.

“They have a duty to use more viable, more suitable, less costly alternatives, not dismiss them for reasons that no longer have any validity. They failed,” he added.

The group called on the council to instead utilise Grundon's MRF at nearby Beenham, which had its capacity doubled to 120,000 tonnes-a-year following a decision by West Berkshire council in March 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, Mr Newman said: “This is not the end. PAWS has taken legal advice and will be considering pushing for a judicial review.”