Subject to conditions, including the provision of a new area of woodland and an odour management plan, the site will also include a wood chipping facility.
The decision follows East Sussex council's provisional approval of the facility in January (see letsrecycle.com story) and is the last of five planning permissions to be received for Veolia's long-term contract with East Sussex council.
The agreement includes permission for a 16MW energy from waste plant at Newhaven (see letsrecycle.com story) and a materials recycling facility at Hollingdeane.
All are expected to help boost recycling rates in East Sussex where landfill capacity is expected to run out in the next six months.
Chris Maltbaek, managing director of Veolia South Downs, said: “This is the last planning permission we need which is good news and we are ready to rock and roll. We have almost finished constructing a transfer station at Maresfield and we are building a MRF and transfer station at Hollingdeane and now our contractors have started clearing the Whitesmith site today.”
PFI
In East Sussex, Veolia is now only awaiting an agreement over land to build its energy from waste plant in Newhaven which it expects to be signed off in the next week. Capable of processing 210,000 tonnes of waste a year, the plant is expected to open in early 2011.
Otherwise, the company explained that its Pebsham transfer station – which it is planning to upgrade – was already drumming up a lot of business.
Mr Maltbaek said: “What we have seen already is various district councils coming into our Pebsham transfer station. There were two landfill sites in this county that took care of disposal but as we start to come on stream that will all change. There is not going to be any landfill at all in six month's time so we are extremely glad for planning permission.”
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