Further consultation on York and North Yorkshire waste and minerals plans

North Yorkshire County Council, the City of York Council and the North York Moors National Park Authority are producing a Minerals and Waste Joint Plan covering all three planning authority areas. 

Rufforth waste plan

The latest draft of the waste plan shows changes to the Harewood Whin (Rufforth) site boundary on page 36.

The three minerals and waste planning authorities have responsibility for preparing a long term plan containing land use planning policies to help take decisions about matters such as where, when and how minerals and waste developments should take place.

 Further information including the main Supplementary Sites Consultation document  is available on the Joint Plan website: www.northyorks.gov.uk/mwconsult

 

 The main purpose of this consultation is to seek your views on the additional and revised sites that are contained in this document.

The consultation period for this stage of the Joint Plan will run until Friday 13th March 2015 and all responses must be received by 5pm on that day. 

Wetherby Road – plans for materials recycling centre

Harewood WhinYorwaste have submitted a planning application to erect a waste transfer and recycling station at Harewood Whin

The station would be used to “bulk up” waste prior to it being transported to the new incinerator being built at Allerton Park

The applicant has agreed to unilaterally revoke earlier planning permissions for the erection of a composting operation in the southern section of the site and the erection of energy from Biomass Plant at the north western edge of the site.

51 objections to the plans have been lodged mainly by residents in the Rufforth area.

Most are concerned about the plants impact on the Green Belt.

The report, which will be considered by the Planning Committee next week, can be read here

NB The site was to have been used as a salvage and recycling centre under plans unveiled in 2011. It would have replaced the Beckfield Lane recycling centre. The Beckfield Lane site was later closed by the new Labour administration which chose to make no alternative recycling facilities available on the west of York.

Harewood Whin odour warning

PEOPLE living in the vicinity of a landfill site near York are being alerted they may experience a temporary odour in the air as work begins to restore another section of the site

The warning from operator Yorwaste comes a year after similar odour problems were reported by resident living in the Wetherby Road area.

Harewood Whin

In a media release the company says, “Yorwaste is currently undertaking work to restore a large area of completed landfill in the central part of their Harewood Whin site. This involves sealing the exposed waste with clay to control leachate generation and prevent landfill gas emissions.

The work can create disturbance, hence why the company is keen to alert residents in advance.

As part of this process new pipes have to be installed to collect the gas that is produced by waste in the landfill and it is at this stage that people living nearby may notice a slight and occasional odour.

Yorwaste says it is working as quickly but safely as possible to carry out this work, which will take place at various periods in October, and that the installation of the gas pipes should be completed by the end of November.

Steve Grieve, Managing Director of Yorwaste, said:

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this work may cause to people living near Harewood Whin but it is important to stress that this work is essential and is necessary to avoid a repeat of last winter’s problems.

“As waste breaks down in a landfill it starts to produce a methane gas. This gas can be captured and converted into green electricity which is then exported directly to the national grid, thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

“The planning and implementation of this work has been done in consultation with our regulator, the Environment Agency, and whilst there may be some short-term inconvenience, they are outweighed by the longer term environmental benefits.”