The criticisms came after the Stirling-based waste management firm lost its appeal over planning permission for a 4 million materials recycling facility in Lower Polmaise in Fallin.
The appeal had been sought because the facility, which would have processed 100,000 tonnes of material a year, was rejected by Stirling council on the grounds that a council-owned access road would not be able to cope with the additional traffic.
The Snowie Group is particularly aggrieved that a 1.6 million council-owned waste transfer station was recently given the go ahead by Stirling council and the Scottish Executive, a facility that is to use the access route in question.
Ben Ballantyne, senior manager at the Snowie, said: “It is a matter of great regret that Snowie and Stirling council could not have worked together to deliver this much-needed waste management facility to the people of Stirling and the surrounding area. With a degree of cooperation, the issue of width of the access road could have been overcome and the common objective to help solve Stirling's and Forth Valley's waste management problems could have been achieved.”
But a spokesman for the Scottish Executive defended its decision to uphold Stirling council's refusal, saying: “The responsibility for dealing with planning applications and local planning matters generally rests, in the first instance, with the planning authority. The appeal decision in this case indicates that efforts to establish a materials recycling centre at Polmaise have had a protracted history for a number of reasons, including a withdrawn application in 2002.”
Blame
The Snowie Group already operates an 18,000 tonne per year MRF at Grangemouth and had plans to build three more, including the Lower Polmaise facility. The company blamed Scotland's poor landfill diversion rates on the difficulties in waste planning.
Mr Ballantyne said: “The National Waste Plan clearly states that it is the responsibility of the waste management industry and local authorities to provide the necessary infrastructure for treating and disposing of wastes. That's all very well, but we can only do so with the necessary planning approvals – and that's where the problem lies.”
The Snowie Group warned that because its MRF had been rejected, tens of thousands of tones of waste material would need to be taken as far afield as Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh for treatment – breaking the “proximity principle” which suggests that waste should be treated as near to source as possible.
A spokeswoman said: “The council's new waste plant handles only household waste, but our facility would have handled commercial and industrial waste as well, which makes up 75% of waste. Now it will have to be taken away by lorries to other areas to be treated.”
The Scottish Executive's spokesman said that Snowie has six weeks to decide if it wishes to take the Scottish Executive's decision to the Court of Session for a further appeal. The company is currently considering its position.
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