Fire risk fears renewed before Rockliffe 'gasification' plant decision
Residents have raised fresh concerns about plans for a plant that would use rubbish to produce gas, ahead of a planning decision on the scheme being made on Friday.They have obtained inspection reports from the Environment Agency (EA), seen by the BBC, some of which allege environmental breaches and increased fire risk at North West Recycling's (NWR) waste processing compound near Carlisle in recent years.The proposed plant in Rockcliffe, which would generate electricity, would be part of the same site.The firm pointed to recent EA reports which showed previous fire safety concerns had been addressed and said the project would have "no impact on human health or the environment".
A large fire broke out at the waste site in 2021. Documents obtained by the BBC last year revealed EA inspectors, who attended at the time of the fire, alleged NWR had breached regulations on the storage of waste, resulting in a significant fire risk.The company denied the allegations and was not prosecuted over the blaze, which was deemed accidental.Residents living nearby said the documents raised questions over the safety of the proposed "gasification" plant.NWR has said it would heat commercial and industrial waste such as film plastic and paper that cannot be recycled, so that they break down into a type of gas made up of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other substances.The gas would then be burned to generate electricity for the site and the wider grid, according to the facility's environmental permit.
But some people in the Rockcliffe area are worried about pollution and fire safety.John Story, a farmer who lives near the site, said "the air was thick" and "everything was noxious" when the 2021 fire happened.He said a similar incident, if a new gasification plant was built, would not be a "winning combination".
Using Environmental Information Regulations, local opponents of the scheme have obtained more than 20 reports following inspections of NWR by the EA, dating from 2020 to late 2024.Some of the documents allege breaches of the company's environmental permit and the site's fire prevention plan at various times.David Mudge, from Carlisle, sent some of the files to Cumberland Council, when it was considering whether to issue a new environmental permit for the proposed gasification plant.
'Endangering human health'
Mr Mudge argued the reports cast doubt on whether the operator would abide by the conditions of any new permit and, therefore, that it should not be granted.Nevertheless the council awarded the permit in April."How can the council be confident this site's going to comply with conditions when you see this record of endangering human health and unsafe fire practices?" Mr Mudge said.Dave Bamber, on behalf of NWR, did not comment directly on the alleged breaches but pointed to an inspection report from last September and one from April that did not record any breaches.He said the EA "consider NWR to be a competent and compliant waste management company", supported by the fact the agency had not objected to the gasification project.
Mr Bamber said the company had commissioned a number of reports on the scheme's impact and the council's ecologist and Natural England had not raised any objections.Cumberland Council said it "engaged specialist independent consultants to review key aspects of the proposal and listened carefully to the advice of key specialist government bodies" before granting the environmental permit.It added it was "firmly committed" to protecting the public and had no grounds to believe the operator would not comply with the permit.Councillors on Cumberland's planning committee are expected to decide whether the gasification plant will get planning permission on Friday, with officers recommending approval.
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