Member Article

Plans in the works for multi-million North Yorkshire waste facility

A final decision on plans for a multi-million pound North Yorkshire waste disposal facility is to be considered by county and city councils next week.

The planning permission when implemented secures money to pay for improvements to the landscape and cultural heritage in the immediate area of Allerton Park, and will create around 70 permanent skilled and semi-skilled jobs, as well as up to 400 jobs during the 3 year construction phase.

The Allerton Park scheme would reportedly lead to a reduction of 59,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, compared with landfill.

It would result in a significant reduction in North Yorkshire’s and York’s ‘carbon footprint’, provide a boost to the economy, avoid massive landfill penalties, and produce enough electricity to power a town the size of Harrogate.

The proposal was agreed in principle in December 2010, when the County Council and City of York Council awarded a contract to AmeyCespa for the 25-year management of waste.

At that time, the scheme was supported by Government funding under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) equivalent to £65 million, until the Government’s PFI credits were withdrawn unexpectedly in February 2013.

It was recommended after an assessment that the consortium should proceed to the final stage of the process, involving the ‘financial close’ with AmeyCespa, the Cambridge-based waste management firm behind the development.

County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, executive member for Waste Management: “This is all about securing a long-term viable means of getting rid of our household waste in a way which is sustainable and environmentally right.”

“We are determined that our solution should not be about putting our waste in a hole in the ground. Equally, we are determined to promote recycling of as much waste as possible.

“This facility will allow us to maximise recycling opportunities now, and will give us the flexibility to exploit future possibilities such as the recycling of food waste.”

Councillor Dafydd Williams, cabinet member for Finance and Performance at City of York Council, said: “It was hugely disappointing to be informed Defra was withdrawing its funding commitment last year, but we remain focussed on delivering the Allerton Waste Recovery Park by 2016/17 and are working closely with North Yorkshire County Council and AmeyCespa to finalise the details of our long term waste management project.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .