In response, the Welsh local authority has slammed the regulator, saying it had not “worked constructively” with the council and the decision “goes against” the council’s duty to increase recycling rates.
Powys added that it had worked independently with WRAP and SLR Consulting as part of the Welsh Government’s collaborative change programme to build the application, and it intends to appeal.
Plant
Powys has already begun building the Abermule facility and plans to send up to 22,500 tonnes per year of recyclables from across north Powys there to be bulked and transferred to processors.
The council planned for it to be based at the Abermule business park it is building.
It has been undertaking a series of consultations over the last few months gaining public feedback on the proposals and also applied for an environmental permit.
Concerns
However, NRW said that after undertaking a “full technical assessment of the application…concerns regarding fire safety remain”.
NRW explained: “Requests for information were made to address the concerns and the applicant responded with further information after each request. However, the substance of the responses was deemed insufficient after further assessment by NRW permitting officers, who consulted with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service colleagues”.
It pointed to concerns raised by the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service who raised concerns about access to water.
The fire service said that if a large waste fire was to occur, the site would need “large volumes of water very early in the incident”, which it said wasn’t the case at the moment.
Powys
In response to the decision published by NRW yesterday (14 March), the council confirmed today it had received the “extremely frustrating and disappointing news” about the permit.
The council explained that the process of applying for a permit for the new site has been “extremely lengthy, involving in-depth public consultation and the exchange of a significant amount of technical information between the council and NRW”.
NRW have not worked constructively with Powys county council
- Nigel Brinn, Powys county council
‘Unexpected’
Nigel Brinn, Powys county council executive director for the economy and environment, said: “This decision is not only hugely disappointing, but also very unexpected and was communicated to us this morning without any prior warning”.
Mr Brinn added: “Throughout the application process we have responded to all requests for further information that has been required by NRW. It’s also disappointing to note that NRW have not worked constructively with Powys county council and its specialist advisors before coming to their surprise decision”.
He concluded by saying that all of the concerns and queries raised by NRW are “more than capable of being resolved”, and said the council does not “understand the logic of the approach undertaken by NRW which is at the very least unhelpful and completely at odds with our statutory duty to increase recycling rates”.
“We have absolutely no doubt that the site can be used safely and successfully for recycling and that a permit will be granted in due course, we will therefore be submitting an appeal to this decision,” Mr Brinn concluded.
Powys recorded a recycling rate of 66.1% for 2020/21, exceeding the Welsh government targets.
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