Heysham energy-from-waste plant secures consent
Veolia’s energy-from-waste plant in Heysham has been given the go-ahead by Lancashire County Council, allowing a three-year construction programme to begin.
The proposed plant will have a power generation capacity of 34MW, enough to support 60,000 homes. It is set to run on a 24-hour basis with waste transported to the site seven days a week, generating 216 HGV movements a day. Fletcher Rae is the architect.
It is to be located on a 10-acre plot off Imperial Road, linked to the A683, and part of the wider Heysham Gateway area. This site has a long industrial history having first been used as a factory during World War Two, and a chemical works up until the late 1980s.
Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council have been promoting the plot for waste management and power generation use for some time, with planning permission granted in 2005 for a waste technology park. Part of this permission was implemented with a waste transfer station now operational at the southern part of the site.
The plans were first mooted by Veoila in 2018 and have now been signed off by the county council, allowing a three-year construction programme to begin. The approval includes a Section 106 agreement, featuring a £145,000 contribution towards cycle and footpath provision.
Commenting on the planning permission, a Veolia Spokesperson said: “We are pleased with today’s decision that will allow us to deliver a high-quality facility that will manage residual waste cleanly and efficiently and provide much needed low carbon energy. We will establish a local liaison committee and continue to engage with residents throughout the construction period.
“Our proposals will provide a useful boost to the local economy during both the construction and longer- term operational phases and we will be using local providers wherever possible. A local recruitment programme for the team to run the facility will shortly be launched and we look forward to working with local colleges in providing training opportunities.
“This shows Lancashire is serious about both solving climate change and growing a local green economy and local jobs.”
Consultants advising Veolia on its application include Fichtner, AOC, Hydrock, Axis, and Argus Ecology.
The Section 106 agreement, featuring a £145,000 contribution towards cycle and footpath provision is not nearly enough.
216 extra HGV movements a day 7 days a week plus goodness knows how many staff racing to work and back home. The A683 is a deadly road to cycle or walk on already. It is a mess through White Lund and there is no footway or cycleway for the rest of the way except for about a hundred metres of badly designed useless path round the roundabouts that are neither use nor ornament. What is needed is an extension of the Bay Gateway shared path on the east side of the A683 all the way from Morecambe Road where the present path ends to the Roundabout with the A589 at Heysham. Where is the rest of the money to come from for proper cycle and pedestrian facilities? £145k won’t go very far When we need at least six kilometres of new path some of it requiring the embankment to be widened.
I am not against the waste plant but it should be contributing a lot more as should some of the other developments in this area.
By Matt