The plant was to be built using the “Fibrecycle” process manufactured by West Midlands-based Estech Europe Ltd, and had been granted planning permission by Herefordshire council in March 2004. Proposed for the Stoney Street Industrial Estate in Madley, the plant would have the capacity for up to 80% of the rural county's waste.
”Herefordshire desperately needs a site such as Madley.“
– Cllr Phil Edwards, Herefordshire council
But a judicial review called by local pressure group Herefordshire Waste Watchers has led to a High Court ruling on Friday that the plant cannot go ahead.
Although judges ruled against the pressure group's argument that an alternative site had to be found for the plant, the High Court agreed with the group that insufficient information had been provided regarding the proposed plant's environmental impact.
Herefordshire council said it was “perplexed” and “disappointed” by the judges' decision, and said it would now consider its position with respect to a possible appeal.
Cllr Phil Edwards, cabinet member for environment, said: “Herefordshire desperately needs a site such as Madley. This decision means that progress in providing facilities to deal with the county's waste will be put back, an unfortunate delay that we could really do without.”
Process
The Estech Europe “Fibrecycle” process takes in mixed household waste and subjects it to a range of conventional mechanical separation techniques – including screens, magnetic and eddy current separators – as well as steam treatment in a rotating autoclave.
Of the mixed waste entering the process, the company says that its process recovers 4% as glass, 4.5% as steel and aluminium, 9% plastics and 2.5% aggregates.
”The emissions are not a problem with the process, it runs using only a boiler, such as you would find in any school.“
– Estech Europe
A further 16% of 'sanitised waste' is sent to landfill, while almost two thirds of the material that enters the process is converted into a cellulose fibre, which the company claims can be made into fibre board, insulation and construction materials as well as use in co-generation power stations as a fuel.
Cllr Edwards said: “The proposed development is a ground-breaking waste treatment plant, combining a number of benign technologies which will steam treat waste and turn it into a re-usable fibre material.”
Minor
Graham Dunhill, the council's director of environment, said he was pleased the judge had ruled in the council's favour with regard to alternative sites for the plant. But, he argued that the High Court had only thrown the proposal out on a “very minor technical point”.
Mr Dunhill said: “A full and thorough enquiry into the planning merits, siting and environmental impact was carried out by the council to inform the final decision on the planning application. We also imposed planning conditions to minimise any damage to the environment and protect the amenity of local residents.”
Estech Europe, which was formed by the transport firm Jack Allen Group in March 2003, is also applying to build one of its plants in nearby Worcestershire (see letsrecycle.com story).
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A spokesman for the company said the High Court decision was a “procedural blip” only, and that it would not affect the company's business elsewhere.
The spokesman said: “The emissions are not a problem with the process, it runs using only a boiler, such as you would find in any school. It was a minor procedural point the objectors based their argument on.”
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