Grundon West Sussex EfW decision delayed

A final decision over whether to grant planning permission for Grundon Waste Managements proposed energy-from-waste (EfW) facility near Arundel has been delayed until July by West Sussex county council.

Following deliberations by the councils planning committee on Tuesday (June 3), when it was due to make a decision, councillors asked officers to address concerns about the application regarding traffic impacts and vehicle access to the site.

As a result, the council said, the next planning meeting on the July 22 is the earliest that a report on these issues could be brought back to the committee.

Oxfordshire-based Grundon Waste Management is proposing to build a 200,000 tonnes per year capacity EfW plant as part of its Circular Technology Park on the former Ford Airfield in the county (see letsrecycle.com story).

The EfW facility would operate 24 hours a day and would generate up to 14MW of electricity, 2MW of which would be used to power the plant itself and provide the opportunity for combined heat and power (CHP) for neighbouring land users.

Traffic

Grundons plans have faced opposition from the local community over concerns about traffic congestion, noise and emissions from the site. However, the councils public consultation in December 2013 found that 62% of respondents were in favour of the development.

And, according to the council, a planning decision has been delayed until next month so that officers can address the following:

• The likely operational impact of a potential reduction of operating hours of the Materials Recovery Facility (this was suggested by Members during the meeting)
• Potential conflicts between HGVs and pedestrians/cyclists arising from the proposed western access and eastern egress
• Potential conflicts with Policy W10 of the adopted West Sussex Waste Local Plan relating to access arrangements and the potential impact of HGVs on amenity

The development, which is expected to create around 200 construction jobs and 60 direct roles, will also house a 60,000 tonnes-per-year capacity materials recycling facility (MRF) for commercial and industrial waste.

It will be located close to Viridors 15 million materials recycling facility (MRF), built in 2009 as part of a 25-year PFI contract with West Sussex county council to recycle material from the household waste stream.