The public consultation, which closes this week, concerns the Surrey Waste Plan, one of two major documents that will shape the county council's long-term plans for the diversion of municipal waste from landfill.
” There have been two extensive consultations on the proposed sites for waste facilities in Surrey, and they have generated thousands of responses. “
– Hilary Herbert, Surrey CC
The first document was the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy, the subject of a separate consultation earlier this year (see letsrecycle.com story). It covers the type and scale of waste treatment processes to be used by the county's waste contractor, SITA subsidiary Surrey Waste Management, for waste treatment, recycling and disposal.
The Surrey Waste Plan, meanwhile, sets out which sites are to be used under SITA's PFI contract.
Proposals
Waste has become a contentious and divisive issue within Surrey in recent years, and consultancy Entec has been brought in to consider possible sites within the Surrey Waste Plan.
Most controversial of all within the current plans are proposals for new energy-from-waste facilities for sites near Capel in the south of the county and at Virginia Water in the north. These plants are likely to process around 240,000 tonnes of waste each year – about 40% of Surrey's waste arisings.
Recommended proposals for Surrey also include building two in-vessel composting plants near Reigate and near Guildford, a new materials recycling facility near Guildford and new materials bulking facilities and transfer stations in the north and east of the county.
Approval
The Waste Plan will now require approval from the government, which has provided 85 million to assist with Surrey's waste plans through the Private Finance Initiative. The government will decide if there should be a public inquiry over the plans.
Hilary Herbert, planning manager at Surrey county council, said: “There have been two extensive consultations on the proposed sites for waste facilities in Surrey, and they have generated thousands of responses. Now the plan has been submitted to government, the process of public engagement is coming to a close.”
Opposition
As had been the case in 1999, when proposals for larger energy-from-waste incinerators in Surrey met staunch local opposition, the current proposals have also come under fire.
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While planners rejected the earlier proposals – delaying the entire PFI waste contract – the county council is hoping its downgraded incinerator proposals will achieve planning permission.
Local opposition through groups including the Capel Action Group, Guildford Anti-Incineration Network continues, however, with further strength added by Surrey districts including Mole Valley district council (see letsrecycle.com story).
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