Although the plant would have been enclosed – with biofilters and air-scrubbers fitted – the proposal attracted local opposition because of fears of odour problems and the health affects of bioaerosol emissions.
” The members voted against it because they had a lot of issues that they felt were not resolved. “
– Cllr John Fletcher, North Yorkshire CC
The planning application was submitted by county-owned waste firm Yorwaste, which wanted to run a year-long trial at the site at Gateforth Park Farm. The trial would have processed about 1,500 tonnes of mixed biodegradable municipal waste during 20 weeks over the course of the year.
The site proposed for the “highly contentious” new technology trial was close to the village of Thorpe Willoughby, and the Selby Golf Course.
North Yorkshire county council said a “large number of local residents” had attended a meeting to express objections to the proposal. Nevertheless, the vote to reject the application was carried with the narrowest of margins, with four councillors in favour and five against.
“Unacceptable”
The committee decided that the potential for effects on local residents was “unacceptable”, and that in spite of a recommendation from council officers for approval, the proposal should be refused.
County councillor John Fletcher, chairman of the committee, said: “The members voted against it because they had a lot of issues that they felt were not resolved. Yorwaste gave a number of assurances, but the members felt that without absolute guarantees, it would be wrong to ignore those issues.”
” The proposed facility bears no resemblance to the previous operation whatsoever and would have made a major contribution to helping local authorities meet tough recycling targets. “
– Yorwaste
Enclosed
The plant proposed by Yorwaste was to have composted mixed household waste once screening had removed non-biodegradable materials. The composting would have taken place in enclosed tunnels, with waste moved from reception areas to treatment areas within enclosed polytunnels.
Plans for the plant had already been revised following local consultations, and an objection from the Environment Agency was withdrawn after the revisions proposed tighter controls on environmental impact.
Previously, the Gateforth Park Farm had been used by a mushroom-growing firm to compost chicken litter, which had generated complaints concerning odours.
But with the proposed odour reduction systems, North Yorkshire officers concluded: “It is considered that with stringent monitoring potential problems and impacts on nearby residents can be controlled to ensure minimal effects.” However, the officers did note that “the effectiveness of the biofilters and air scrubbers remains to be proved”.
Yorwaste
Commenting on the county council's decision, Yorwaste said it was “particularly disappointed” that its plans were rejected after being recommended for approval by council officers.
| Related links: |
Yorwaste is now considering its options, and a spokesman said it “cannot rule out an appeal against the decision at this stage”.
The spokesman said: “Through extensive consultation and dialogue with local people and other interested parties, it believes it had addressed all concerns relating to the trial and that the majority of objections were based on past experience when the facility was used for the composting of mushrooms.
“The proposed facility bears no resemblance to the previous operation whatsoever and would have made a major contribution to helping local authorities meet tough recycling targets set by the government,” the Yorwaste spokesman added.
Register for free to comment