Speaking to letsrecycle.com today, the county authority explained that a Judicial Review brought by residents group Residents Against Waste Site (RAWS)- who had questioned the legality of the council's decision to grant planning permission to the facility – had ruled in the council's favour.
Tony Martin, Lancashire council's cabinet member for sustainable development, remarked: “As you would expect, I am very pleased with the outcome of the Judicial Review of the county's decision to grant planning permission for the Leyland Waste Technology Park. This world class facility will make a major contribution to the environment and the climate change agenda by minimising the amount of waste Lancashire residents landfill.”
However, the local authority stressed that the challenge had cost them in the region of £12 to £15 million by delaying the construction of 30,000-tonne-a-year plant, which was meant to start in June.
The council also raised fears that this could rise “significantly” if the protesters chose to appeal and delay the construction further.
The facility is especially important as it will form an integral part of Lancashire's £2 billion waste disposal contract with Bovis Lend Lease and Australian firm Global Renewables, which is expected to help Lancashire meet impending targets under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (see letsrecycle.com story).
Cllr Martin said: “In this case we know the costs of democracy. RAWS' challenge has resulted in a delay to the construction programme and those costs to date are in the order of £12 to £15 million. Any further delay will increase these costs by significant amount.”
Cllr Martin claimed that the best thing to do was press on with the development to “claw back” some of the costs for council tax payers
He said: “I believed that the best way forward for the people of Lancashire is for the facility to be built without further delay. By doing so we can try to claw back some of these cost increases already incurred and at worst minimise any further cost increases for us all.”
Challenge
The legal challenge by RAWS, which derived from fears over the proximity of the facility to residents' homes and that its full environmental impact had not been assessed, was brought in February this year after Lancashire's planning department granted planning permission to the facility in December 2006 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The plant will use mechanical biological treatment of a variety called “Urban Resource – Reduction, Recovery and Recycling” (UR-3R) to process 170,000 tonnes of mixed residual waste a year into compost and biogas fuel. The process sorts waste before washing it in a “percolator” and composting and refining it.
The recycling park will also include a 55,000-tonne-a-year enclosed composting facility for both green waste and garden waste and a 55,000-tonne-a-year materials recycling facility.
Although Global Renewables and RAWS were unavailable to comment about the court case, Lancashire council assured residents that once the facility was built it would make a “major contribution” to the environment and would put residents' minds at ease.
Cllr Martin said: “I am very mindful of the concerns of local residents and the uncertainty they face over the next couple of years whilst the facility is built. Only when the plant is operational will they be sure that the county council's assurances and safeguards are as good as we say they are going to be.”
The council added that it had established a community liason group headed by David Borrow MP to address residents concerns about the facility.
Cllr Martin explained: “I believe discussion and dialogue is the way forward. The judge has given his decision; it is time to move on in the interests of everybody.”
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