Council to meet to consider controversial planning application

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a day ago

CUMBERLAND Council is set to hold a 'special planning committee' meeting next week to consider a controversial planning application.
North-west Regeneration is hoping to develop an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility comprising of a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) fed Gasification Plant with a 23m high flue stack on land in Rockcliffe and has submitted a revised application.
Members of the planning committee are due to meet next Friday (June 20) at the Civic Centre in Carlisle to consider the application for a site on land next to the former Unit D on the Kingmoor Park Rockcliffe Estate.
The application requests associated synthetic gas fuelled Combined Heat & Power (CHP) generation engines and other associated ancillary equipment, machinery, plant and development including the formation of new hard-surfaced areas and drainage infrastructure; and the erection of a modular office and welfare block building.
It is recommended that full planning permission be granted subject to conditions.
It states: 'The estate is situated on the south-eastern outskirts of the small village of Rockcliffe. The proposed gasification plant measures approximately 750m from the southern edge of Rockcliffe village and 1km from the northern end of the village of Cargo.
'It lies approximately 2.4km north-west of the north-western perimeter of the built-up area of Carlisle. The outlier suburb of Crindledyke lies approximately 1.2km east-south-east of the site. Beyond this, the nearest residential area of the city is the Kingmoor/Lowry Hill area which lies at least 2.8km south-east from the site.'
According to the report EfW is about taking residual waste, such as waste that cannot be recycled, and recovering value from it by turning it into useable forms of energy.
It states: 'The gasification technology proposed by this application heats waste at highly elevated temperatures, greater than 1000°C and generally ranging from 1200°C to 1500°C, in order to convert it into a synthetic gas. This gas is then cleaned and combusted in gas fired engines to generate electricity and heat.'
The Environment Agency had no objection subject to imposition of a contaminated land condition.
Historic England also had no objection and Natural England also had no objection 'subject to appropriate mitigation being secured'.
However, Rockcliffe Parish Council has objected to the application on a wide range of grounds across three responses.
The points raised included:
A lack of information and insufficient assessment within the application package and a call for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA);
The adverse cumulative impact of this proposal with existing and other proposed waste developments in the area;
That the proposal would industrialise the estate and wider area;
That the estate has never been designated for industrial commercial processes;
Visual impact – consider the development to be too big, too close and insufficiently screened and that it would have an adverse affect on a large area and harm amenity in Rockcliffe village and the surrounding countryside.
In addition, they objected to the impact of emissions and discharges and the report states: 'That the plant is potentially toxic, lacks specialist pollution abatement systems and would harm health.'
According to the report the application has generated significant public interest. It adds: 'To date 1,218 representations have been received.
'Of these 1,213 are considered to constitute objections, while five provide comments and observations. 775 of the objections take the form of a template letter.'
Next Friday's public meeting is due to begin at 10.30am and the application is the only item due for consideration.