The Environment Agency will publish a draft environmental permit for a proposed energy from waste incinerator at New England Quarry near Ivybridge this Friday (September 7).
The application for an environmental permit was made by Viridor Waste Management Ltd.
The Environment Agency is publishing the draft permit along with a draft decision document because it is satisfied that the proposed facility could be constructed and operated in a way that ensures a high level of protection is provided to human health and the environment.
This follows its thorough consideration of the application alongside information submitted as part of the public consultation from organisations such as the Health Protection Agency and Devon County Council, as well as contributions from members of the public.
The publication of the draft decision is not the end of the process. It marks the launch of a five week consultation on the draft permit and the draft decision document. This will start on September 7 and run until October 12.
Judy Proctor, from the Environment Agency, explained, ‘This further consultation period is part of the permitting process. It allows us to check that nothing has changed since the original application and that nothing has been missed or overlooked in the draft permit before we make our final decision.’
The draft decision document and draft permit will be available to view from Friday on the Agency’s website at http://bit.ly/SntO7w and on the public registers at:
• The Environment Agency, Sir John Moore House, Victoria Square, Bodmin, PL31 1EB
• South Hams District Council, Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, TQ9 5NE
• Plymouth City Council, Civic Centre, Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2AA
Guidance is also available on the Environment Agency’s website to help people respond to the consultation. In addition the Agency are planning to hold a public surgery at the Watermark Centre in Ivybridge on Thursday 4 October . Environment agency staff will be there to help people understand how the draft decision has been reached and help them respond to the consultation if they wish to do so. Further details of the surgery will be publicised in the next couple of weeks.
‘We hope to see as many people as possible at the Watermark Centre in October but we would like to reassure the public they do not need to attend the surgery in order to respond to the consultation,’ added Judy Proctor. ‘If anyone is unable to attend the surgery but would like advice on responding we would encourage them to visit our website or contact our customer service line on 08708 506 506 for our quick guide on how to respond.’
Viridor have also applied separately for an environmental permit to construct and operate a landfill. The Environment Agency are continuing to consider this application. If they decide that a draft permit for the landfill can be published they will consult on this separately.
Planning applications for the proposed incinerator and landfill will be considered by Devon County Council’s planning committee.
Notes for editors:
• An energy from waste incinerator helps to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and allows this waste to be used as a resource to produce electricity. An environmental permit is required for this activity.
• During the environmental permitting process the Environment Agency considers the impact of the facility on human health and the environment. The environmental permitting process is completely separate from the planning process. Issues of traffic movements, visual impact and operating hours will be considered by Devon County Council as part of the planning process.
• Environmental permits contain strict conditions to protect the health of the local community and the quality of the environment. These conditions require companies operating incinerators to prevent and minimise pollution to air, land and water, as well as noise, vibration, and odour.
