8:30pm Wednesday 28th July 2010
By Beth Allcock
ONE of the companies bidding for Cheshire’s household waste contract has said it will reduce the amount of waste that will be processed at the site at Lostock Gralam.
At a presentation to councillors, Viridor outlined its new proposal for the £850 million household and residual waste contract – a joint venture by Cheshire West and Chester (CWAC) and Cheshire East Councils.
The main difference to the previous application concerns the amount of residual household waste and waste from household recycling centres that would be dealt with at the proposed Mechanical Biological Treatment facility, off Griffiths Road.
Clr George Miller, attended the presentation session on Thursday, and said the revised application suggested a reduction in the amount of waste processed, from 250,000 tonnes per annum to 200,000 tonnes per annum, and included 15,000 tonnes of commercial waste.
Viridor’s initial proposal suffered a setback after it was rejected by members of the Strategic Planning Committee at a meeting on June 17.
One of the reasons for rejection on planning grounds, was the perceived over-capacity of waste on the site, and a more general worry about the amount of waste disposal in the heart of Cheshire.
Clr Miller added: “All I would say is the grounds were far, far stronger for resource recovery solutions than the grounds for turning the one down on Griffiths Road.”
An official statement from Viridor assured the scaled-down facility would remove concerns of excess treatment capacity, and would reduce the potential impacts on highways.
It added: “Viridor has put together a new planning application that specifically addresses the points raised.”
Dan Cooke, external affairs manager for Viridor, said: “We have listened carefully and are confident that the changes made to this application address any issues the Strategic Planning Committee may have had.
“Our proposal is clearly in line with local and national waste and planning policies.
“We feel the proposed facility would bring many positive benefits, notably substantial investment, jobs, local energy production and best practice residual waste treatment.”
Tony Lawrenson, chairman of Rudheath Parish Council, suggested it would oppose the proposal.
Viridor will submit the new planning application in August.
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