Councillors voted unanimously yesterday to refuse planning permission for the project proposed by Peel Environmental for Ince Marshes.
 The Resource Recovery Park was to have a recovery plant to generate 95MW of energy from 600,000 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel every year |
Cheshire's development regulatory committee called the project “premature” in its timing before the close of the county's public inquiry on a new Waste Local Plan.
It backed recommendations by council officers to reject the proposal, which was to include an integrated waste management plant and a recovery plant to generate energy from refuse-derived fuel (RDF).
The integrated waste management plant was to include a materials recycling facility, mechanical biological treatment facility and an in-vessel composting plant, the whole plant taking about 200,000 tonnes of waste each year.
The RDF plant being proposed would have had the capacity to generate 95MW of energy every year from as much as 600,000 tonnes of recovered waste, some of which could have been produced by other MBT plants, such as that planned for Manchester.
The 100-hectare site was also to have an “environmental technologies complex”, in which companies would have been invited to relocate to make use of the materials being recycled there. And, it was to include 42 hectares of landscaping to promote local wildlife.
Greenfield
Councillors on the committee said they were expecting Peel Environmental to appeal the planning rejection, and that a fresh proposal could be considered at another time. But, as well as criticising the timing of the project, councillors objected to the location of the resource recovery park project – described by the council as “the biggest in Europe” – being proposed for an undeveloped “greenfield” site.
”It is premature, it is in breach of planning regulations and we have no alternative but to refuse“
– Cllr Allan Richardson, Cheshire CC
Cllr Allan Richardson said: “The county council has deliberated about this site for 40 years, but we cannot get away from the fact that this massive proposal conflicts with its present Structure Plan designation.
“I am sure this application will come back to use in the future, but until then it is premature, it is in breach of planning regulations and we have no alternative but to refuse,” Cllr Richardson added.
Peel
Peel Environmental, owned by Manchester-based property developers Peel Group, described the decision by Cheshire county council planners as “disappointing”.
The company said its “groundbreaking” project would have made full use of rail and waterways to transport waste and reprocessed goods, and that the project could have “set the standard for others”.
Myles Kitcher, Peel Environmental's director, said: “When we are being urged to take urgent action to provide more sustainable development to address climate change issues, it is disappointing to be told that the plans are premature. Only last week, Sir Nicholas Stern presented his landmark report to the government, which highlighted the need to move towards a low-carbon economy.
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“We believe that the Ince Resource Recovery Park is a prime example of the opportunities that arise from this shift to carbon-conscious development,” Mr Kitcher insisted.
Peel Environmental said it would consider its position following the publication of the Inspector's Report on the Waste Local Plan inquiry. However, it stated an intention to appeal to the Secretary of State against Cheshire's decision.
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