Latest news with #MalcolmPowell
BBC News
25-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Campaigners submit petition against Sowerby Bridge incinerator
A petition bearing 2,400 signatures has been submitted against long-running proposals to build an incinerator in a West Yorkshire in Sowerby Bridge have opposed the plans for a waste plant - which Calderdale Council approved an environmental permit for at the end of Wednesday, some of those involved in the campaign gathered outside Halifax Town Hall and chanted "they don't care about our air", before handing a petition to elected members calling for the permit to be local authority has previously said its officers found the incinerator to be legal and therefore the permit would not be rescinded. In February, campaigners raised £10,000 to launch a legal challenge against the decision, but the High Court later refused one of them, Malcolm Powell, permission to apply for a judicial Powell is planning to appeal against that ruling, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said. Formally presenting the petition, Sowerby Bridge Labour councillor Simon Ashton said the uncertainty around the situation was affecting residents and cited air quality and health impacts as being among the main objections to the incinerator. "Constituents have raised their voice and I urge this council to listen – please heed this petition and consider rescinding the permit," Ashton told the Council initially rejected a first application from Calder Valley Skip Hire (CVSH) to run the incinerator at its Rochdale Road site, before that decision was overturned on appeal. A public inquiry later effectively backed the council's original position, however. CVSH then submitted a second application, which was granted by the local authority alongside conditions, one of which would require continuous monitoring of air quality in the opponents' grievances is the fact the second application was decided by officers, rather than debated by councillors in Council leader Jane Scullion told Wednesday's meeting that potential changes to the authority's planning system, which would mean councillors have the final say on such proposals, would be considered at the council's next Cabinet meeting. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
24-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sowerby Bridge: Anti-incinerator fundraiser reaches £10,000
A £10,000 fundraising target to launch a legal challenge against a council's decision to permit an incinerator has been Malcolm Powell has now filed an application in court seeking a judicial review into Calderdale Council's granting of the environmental permit for the Valley Skip Hire won planning permission, after appealing an initial rejection, to operate a small waste incineration plant at its site in Belmont, Sowerby council approved the additional environmental permit, which was also rejected after the first application, in November. Mr Powell initiated legal action over the first application too, but the permit was ultimately refused by planning inspector John Woolcock after a public inquiry, said the Local Democracy Reporting council failed to give "adequate and intelligible" reasons for its decision and it failed to reach a conclusion on many of the issues raised, according to Danielle Durrans, cabinet member for public services, said council officers have deemed the incinerator legal and therefore the permit would not be council and Calder Valley Skip Hire have until 13 March to respond to the court about the judicial review claim.A judge will then review the papers and determine whether permission is given to proceed to a substantive to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Incinerator decision Judicial Review being pursued
OBJECTORS to a controversial waste incinerator being given a key environmental permit to operate at a West Yorkshire site are taking a council's decision to grant it to court. Prospective claimant Malcolm Powell has made the decision to issue a Judicial Review Claim against Calderdale Council in respect of the grant of an Environmental Permit to Calder Valley Skip Hire to operate a Small Waste Incineration Plant (SWIP) at their Belmont Site, Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale. The council has been urged to quash the permit, but a senior councillor says it will not do so. The Belmont Group, which opposes the incinerator and rallies those concerned about the plant, says in order to pursue the Judicial Review additional funds will be necessary. Mr Powell has set up a Just Giving page at – which is dedicated to raising funds to support the legal action. Last November Calderdale Council granted Calder Valley Skip Hire (CVSH) a key environmental permit allowing the company to use a small waste incineration plant (SWIP) at its Sowerby Bridge premises. A complicated history stretching back nearly 10 years has seen Calderdale Council refuse planning permission for the incinerator, and that decision being overturned on appeal to the planning inspectorate. However, companies also have to have an environmental permit to run the incinerator, and following the company's initial 2021 application objectors went to law and won the right to a Judicial Review of the council Cabinet's decision to grant the permit. After this the permit was quashed, following which the status of the permit application was deemed to be 'undetermined' and the company appealed the non-determination. But Planning Inspector John Woolcock, citing risk to health, dismissed this after an inquiry, effectively refusing it – however, as the law stands companies can lodge further applications, and this second application was granted by the council late last year. Mr Powell set the legal ball rolling in the same way by seeking a Judicial Review over the 2021 environmental permit application. The issue has featured heavily in council and ruling Cabinet questions sessions this week with a number of technical and procedural issues raised by objectors and councillors. They also lobbied councillors on their way into this week's meeting of the full council at Halifax Town Hall. At the council questions from the public session Clive Wilkinson asked: 'Given the overwhelming evidence provided by objectors in their comments regarding the proposed incinerator in Sowerby Bridge, would it not be prudent for the council to rescind the environmental permit to save both the council and the local resident the cost of a Judicial Review, especially given the council's previous loss at a JR for unlawfully approving an environmental permit for the same incinerator? 'If the council do intend to proceed to a JR, what is the likely cost if you lose?' Responding, Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, Coun Danielle Durrans (Lab, Ovenden) said relevant officers within the council have deemed the incinerator can meet the appropriate legislative requirements and the environmental permit that has been issued would therefore not be rescinded. 'The council will respond to the Judicial Review should one be issued and the cost of which would be unknown,' she said.
