The 400-acre Whitehead site, located on the Wigan/Salford border of Greater Manchester, was used for the disposal of residual waste by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. The site was later mothballed after greater levels of recycling were achieved by the Authority.
According to Viridor, the sale and transfer of the site is in line with its strategy to realise value from its landfill asset base. Landfill and landfill gas generation contributed £51.2 million to the company’s earnings in 2014/15.
Viridor is seeking to reduce the overall number of landfill sites in its operation from 21 in 2014/15, to just three sites by 2020. Closed landfills will continue to produce landfill gas.
Development
Commenting on the sale and transfer, Chris Jonas, director of business development for Viridor, said: “Whilst recognising the contribution of modern, engineered landfill as both a secure residual waste disposal option and as a the pioneer of British renewable energy in its day, a firm focus on recycling and investment in energy recovery is hastening an end to its legacy use.
“That said, Viridor’s landfill asset base presents significant opportunities for the business, both internally and through the release of some sites for commercial development. The sale and transfer of Whitehead is good news for both Viridor and the local community which can look forward to the longer-term development of the land with NPL Developments.”
Projects undertaken by NPL Group include the regeneration of land for residential, retail and commercial developments.
Simon Towers, managing director of NPL Group, added: “We are delighted to have completed this transaction with Viridor and are looking forward to working with Wigan and Salford councils to determine appropriate after-uses for this large site. We will bring some positive ideas for employment generation to those discussions.”
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