Norfolk considering JR over Defra funding loss

Norfolk county council is to plough ahead with plans for the controversial 500 million energy-from-waste (EfW) plant in Kings Lynn after cabinet members this morning (October 29) voted in favour of a revised plan for the facility.

And, the council confirmed it is considering launching a judicial review application against Defras decision to withdraw 169 million funding for the PFI project earlier this month (see letsrecycle.com story).

In August, both Bradford and York councils were granted judicial review hearings after Defra withdrew funding for several EfW projects earlier this year (see letsrecycle.com story).

The revised plan approved today updates contract dates for the project to address the delay in securing planning permission for the Willows EfW plant, which arose after the government called in the planning application for a public inquiry, which took place earlier this year.

The inquiry concluded in May 2013 and communities secretary Eric Pickles is set to make a final decision on proposals for the 268,000 tonnes-per-year capacity plant on or before January 14 2014.

And, the revised plan will also see the councils operating budget used to replace funds originally pledged by Defra, without which the council said the contract would still save taxpayers around 20 million over its 25-year lifetime, compared to waste being sent to landfill.

The cabinets decision to press ahead with the 25-year residual waste contract with consortium Cory Wheelabrator follows the close vote in favour of the EfW plant recorded a special council meeting yesterday (see letsrecycle.com story).

A Norfolk county council spokesman said: George Nobbs, leader of Norfolk county council did confirm in the cabinet meeting confirmed that the authority is seeking QCs advice about whether we have grounds for judicial review of Defra’s decision to withdraw the waste infrastructure grant.

He referred in particular to the governments rationale for withdrawing the credits being the delay in securing planning permission, when the delay was caused by the government calling in the planning application for their determination.

Cory Wheelabrator

A spokesman for waste management firm Cory Environmental one half of the consortium alongside US company Wheelabrator Technologies welcomed todays cabinet decision.
Paul Green of the Cory Wheelabrator consortium said: The consortium is pleased that Norfolk county council’s cabinet has today voted to accept the revised project plan.

We believe that the Willows Power & Recycling Centre will provide a long term sustainable solution to deal with the county’s residual waste. We now look forward to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) making a swift planning decision.

Todays decision follows the publication of a Eunomia report earlier this month, which found that shipping Norfolks waste to incinerators in the Netherlands could be up to 34 per tonne cheaper than through the 25-year incinerator contract (see letsrecycle.com story).