The Green MK Centre was initially turned down in October 2002 by the city council because of the unpopular energy from waste recovery component (see letsrecycle.com story). Following the unanimous vote against the facility, Shanks submitted a revised plan without the 50MW incinerator.
After a public hearing on April 4, the council has now voted through the revised plan, subject to a satisfactory section 106 planning agreement hearing to be held on May 28, 2003.
The revised plan will see the 146 hectare site developed to include two front-end materials recycling facilities (MRFs), a green waste composting facility and four “bio-MRFs”, using mechnical-biological treatment (MBT) technology from the Italian firm Ecodeco.
With each bio-MRF capable of handling 60,000 tonnes a year, Shanks has planning permission to eventually construct 10 such facilities at the site. But to win the favour of local campaigners and councillors, Shanks has said it will initially build only four bio-MRFs, with all subsequent units subject to the company demonstrating Best Practicable Environmental Option.
Using the four bio-MRFs, Shanks believes it can handle twice as much waste as Milton Keynes can produce.
Commenting on the council approval, operations director Andy Ryan said: “We are very pleased that we have been able to reach agreement with both MK Council and local campaign groups. Following the public meeting on the 4th April a round of discussions took place where we were able to directly address the remaining concerns of the campaigners and I am extremely pleased with this outcome.”
Concessions
Other concessions to keep local campaign groups happy have included limiting vehicle movements to 750 a day, with all vehicles entering the site through a new entrance away from housing. Shanks has promised to cut this figure by one vehicle for every 20 tonnes of material brought into the site via rail. However, Milton Keynes rejected a proposal by Shanks to increase its rail access with new connections built on land set aside as a nature reserve.
With public relations taking a leading role in the revised plans, Shanks has signed a “legal covenant” stating that it will not build an incinerator on the Bletchley site unless the council demanded one.
Friends of the Earth spokesman Andrew Lockley said: “Since recent management changes there have been huge compromises from Shanks. What it is proposing now is very much closer to what the community needs than in any previous proposals.”
Shanks has also attempted to offset local unease, partly caused by past pollution problems at the site (see letsrecycle.com story), by setting up a community board to give nearby residents direct access to the relevant regulatory bodies and to request action from them should they feel it necessary.
Shanks spokesperson Viki Bergman explained: “The constitution of the community board is still being formulated, but the Environment Agency, environmental health officers, planners and representatives from the community will all be part of the forum.”
The Milton Keynes Green Party has questioned whether the community board will be given the “teeth it will need to ensure that Shanks complies in future with pollution control regulations”.
But Ms Bergman told letsrecycle.com: “The board will have more than enough powers because it will have the direct ear of the Environment Agency – if someone is going to close the facility down, it's going to be the Environment Agency.”
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