Waste plant battle ends in defeat

A LONG-running battle to block plans for a controversial waste transfer station handling 15,000 tonnes of material a year at Warrington has been lost.
The plant, on land off the A49 Winwick Road at Longford, can now go ahead – despite the strenuous opposition of nearby residents and councillors.
Members of the borough council’s development control committee decided last year that the scheme should be refused because of the likely impact of more heavy traffic on the already congested A49.
But planning officers had recommended approval, and a Government-appointed inspector has agreed with them.
He says there is no evidence to show that a small increase in vehicle movements in Winwick Road would be dangerous.
Any disruption to traffic will be minimal, he says.
The proposals involve part of the site of a proposed medical waste facility, controversially granted permission on appeal in 2002, but which was never built because the land is owned by the borough council who would not allow it to go ahead.
But the new scheme is a totally separate proposal – not involving medical waste. It involves an enclosed transfer building, offices, storage bays for recycled wastes and outside storage of skips, wagons, etc. An existing building will be used for sorting dry non-recyclable and recyclable materials.
The facility will have a throughput of 15,000 tonnes of locally collected green and garden wastes, metals, bricks and hardcore.
A council spokesman said the inspector felt the impact of the plant on Winwick Road would be negligible.
But he has imposed 16 conditions, including controls over annual tonnage of waste, numbers of lorries, hours of operation, noise levels and burning of waste.