SITA “surprised” by North-East landfill rejection

The council decided yesterday (August 14) to refuse planning permission for the plans, which would have increased the site's capacity by 4.35 million cubic metres and, as a result, extended its operational lifetime by 15 years to 2024.

While the proposals had cleared their first planning hurdle last month, when Northumberland county council's planning officers approved the application (see letsrecycle.com story), SITA UK also had to seek approval from North Tyneside county council due to the Seghill site lying on the border between the two local authorities.

In particular, the new £2.5 million access road and bridge it had hoped to build, as well as screening and landscaping for the extension, fall within North Tyneside's area of control.

It is believed that North Tyneside members rejected their council officers' recommendation to back the plans on the grounds that their need hadn't been proven, other alternatives hadn't been properly investigated, an extension would be detrimental to the environment enjoyed by local people and that it was detrimental to the green belt and on traffic and safety grounds.

In the wake of the decision, SITA UK described its plans for the extension to the site that deals with 200,000 tonnes of non-hazardous municipal and commercial waste a year as being “in limbo”, and John Grainger, the company's general manager for the North East, expressed his disappointment at the ruling.

“I am very surprised at the rejection of SITA UK's plans by North Tyneside councillors as the main disposal operations occur across the boundary in Northumberland.

“The developments in North Tyneside would have been improvements to access, landscaping and local amenities.

“The company has invested a great deal in its facilities at Seghill landfill and we will have to consider our options for the future, which could include an appeal,” he added.

Commenting after the decision, a spokesman for North Tyneside council said: “North Tyneside council's planning committee tonight considered an application by SITA (UK) Ltd for an extension to the Seghill landfill site.

“The planning application was refused by a vote of 14 to zero. The committee reached its decision following the statutory process and after considering all material considerations and the views of all parties.

“The grounds for refusal will be set out within the next few days. The applicant has the right to appeal the decision,” he added.

Opposition

Though the plans were approved by Northumberland county council's planning and regulation committee last month, they have aroused notable opposition in the area, with a 'No To Landfill' campaign run by local residents claiming to have attracted 5,000 signatures backing its call to halt the extension.

And, even if North Tyneside had decided to back the plans, an Article 14 notice that was issued by the Government Office of the North East following representations from nearby Blyth Valley borough council would have halted the progress of the plans until a decision was made on whether or not to hold a public inquiry to consider them.

Impact

Mr Grainger warned that North Tyneside's decision to refuse the application would have a major impact on the area's waste management options.

“This is a huge disappointment to SITA UK and this refusal will have significant implications for the company and the local authorities whose waste we handle.

“This is not a matter of a company wanting to expand purely for commercial reasons; it's about the regional waste strategy and the need for ongoing landfill capacity in this region.

“We initially submitted our application in 2005 and, after all this time, we are naturally
extremely disappointed that councillors on one of the two deciding authorities didn't accept the professional advice of their officers and were unable to see the benefits to the region of having the proposed extension,” he added.

SITA UK won a 28-year, PFI-funded contract giving it responsibility for Northumberland's waste management needs in December 2006 (see letsrecycle.com story), and while it is expected to reach a 45% recycling by 2030-31, and 92% landfill diversion, Mr Grainger explained that the Seghill extension still had a vital role to play.

“Although priority is now being given to waste minimisation and recycling, a very
substantial quantity of waste will still need to be landfilled in the years to come,” he said.

Waste production in the north-east continues to increase and the region needs well run, quality sites like Seghill Landfill to ensure that waste is managed safely and effectively,” he added.