In March, Dorset’s planning committee rejected the plans after a report which went before councillors said the proposed development is not on a site with the area’s waste plan and is not close to the areas in Dorset where the main residual waste generation takes place (see letsrecycle.com story).
Powerfuel Portland first announced its plans to build the £100 million plant on the Isle of Portland in December 2019 (see letsrecycle.com story), with a capacity of 183,000 tonnes.
In a statement soon after the decision, Giles Frampton, director Powerfuel Portland, slammed the decision and vowed to appeal the ruling. He added the company will be seeking to recover costs “for unreasonable behaviour”,
In a statement soon after the decision, Giles Frampton, director Powerfuel Portland, slammed the decision and vowed to appeal the ruling. He added the company will be seeking to recover costs “for unreasonable behaviour” as the company said the planning officer report failed to include feedback from Dorset officers and third party consultants that disagreed with the officer recommendation.
Mr Frampton said in April: “We proposed a deferral to try to correct this position but Dorset Council decided to proceed anyway resulting in a decision being made without having access to this material which raises questions regarding the fairness and integrity of the process.”
Notice
In a notice published yesterday (31 July), Dorset council explained it has received a notice of the company’s intentions to appeal, and that appeals against refusals of planning permission are submitted to the secretary of state, “and nearly all are decided by the Planning Inspectorate”.
The council added: “We are anticipating that the appeal will be submitted in mid-August. At this point the Planning Inspectorate will notify Dorset council that the appeal has started (the ‘start date’) and confirm how the appeal will be handled, together with details of an inquiry date and the name of their appointed independent inspector.
“Within one week of the start date our team will notify all interested parties – including anyone who submitted representations to the original application – that an appeal has been lodged with the Planning Inspectorate, including details of how to get involved.”
‘Reflect’
Giles Frampton, director Powerfuel Portland, told letsrecycle.com: “We have taken time to review and reflect on the decision taken by Dorset and their reasons for refusal.
“Our view remains that the facility is much needed to ensure Dorset can sustainably manage its waste and that the project benefits clearly outweigh the limited harm identified in the Committee Report. We are confident of a positive outcome at appeal now the matter is in the hands of the independent Planning Inspectorate guaranteeing us a fair and balanced decision.”
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