Local authority opposition to planning applications for energy-from-waste facilities is creating a “time bomb” for the UK's long-term ability to divert residual waste from landfill, the chief executive of one of the UK's largest waste company's has warned.
David Palmer-Jones, of SITA UK, today (August 17) called for a “shift in mindset” from councillors to understand the energy potential of waste after his company issued figures showing that, between 2007 and 2009, only 35 out of 68 planning applications for energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities were approved.
Short-termist views from councillors on often three year mandates put at risk long-term planning on a strategic direction of waste management that needs frequently a 25-year view
David Palmer-Jones, chief executive, SITA UK
According to SITA UK, the remaining 33 were either refused or are still pending a decision, and the company claimed that many of the rejections came from authorities where projects had been recommended for approval by council's own planning officers.
“There is in effect a time bomb building up for the UK's ability to deal with the waste currently going to landfill,” Mr Palmer-Jones said.
“What is needed is a shift in mindset to understand the 50 million tonnes each year going to landfill is an alternative energy resource that can be tapped into.”
Mr Palmer-Jones claimed that the problem had been further accentuated by the coalition government's plans to abolish the independent Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), which had been established to consider large-scale infrastructure, including EfW plants (see letsrecycle.com story).
“The abolition of the recently formed Infrastructure Planning Commission means there will be no strategic overview of waste facilities, increasing the risk that councils could reject schemes even if they come with the recommendation of a local planning officer,” he said.
“Short-termist views from councillors on often three year mandates put at risk long-term planning on a strategic direction of waste management that needs frequently a 25-year view,” he added.
The company compared the “disturbing trend” with energy-from-waste facilities in particular with waste management facilities in general, where it said, between 2007 and 2009, there were 299 consents, 50 refusals and 56 still pending a decision.
Despite this, it claimed there was a “national will” to divert waste from landfill and turn it into energy, and said that EfW and gasification facilities were well-placed to address that need.
Infrastructure
The issue of planning difficulties faced by waste facilities has frequently been raised as a key barrier to the development of new waste infrastructure, with concerns raised over both the post-IPC landscape (see letsrecycle.com story), and the fact that government plans to ‘fast-track' large applications are not expected to address the majority of waste-to-energy plants, which will not be big enough to be dealt with in this way.
Uncertainty over the future situation was alluded to by Ian Ginbey, head of planning at City law firm, Macfarlanes, who said: “The coalition is yet to make clear how they intend to accommodate infrastructure projects, such as energy from waste facilities, within the new 'localism' agenda.
“Experience has proven that, whilst successive governments are committed to the principle of such facilities, people who live in the area surrounding proposed sites are often vehemently opposed to them. Given its commitment to greatly reducing the scope for planning appeals, squaring this circle will be one of the great tests of the new administration's approach to planning.”
SITA itself has faced difficulties with guiding planning applications for energy-from-waste incinerators through the local authority planning system, with the company's proposals to build plants in Cornwall (see letsrecycle.com story) and Surrey (see letsrecycle.com story) encountering local authority opposition.
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