Biffa submit changes to plans for new incinerator at quarry
Changes would let site take more waste and produce more energy
A WASTE management company has put forward changes to its plans for an incinerator at Shepshed.
Biffa has submitted an application to Leicestershire County Council concerning Newhurst Quarry in Ashby Road East, Shepshed. LE12 9BU to accommodate proposed changes to the design of the plant.
These include the materials used in the construction and the external appearance of the plant; the removal of the Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) maturation area and relocation of the car park into the IBA area; rearrangement of external ancillary equipment and internal site roadways.
Planning permission was granted in June 2012 by the Secretary of State for the construction and operation of an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) and ancillary facilities. The planning permission was amended in March 2015 - granted by Leicestershire County Council- when Biffa sought to make changes to the design to provide optimal efficiencies (both operationally and in terms of power output).
Development commenced on site in June 2015, but Biffa is now in the process of preparing a detailed design for the facility along with their project partners Covanta and technology provider Hitachi Zosen Inova prior to the commencement of construction.
A supporting letter to the council from applicant Mary Tappenden for Biffa Waste Services Ltd said: “This design process, which is being undertaken some 4.5 years after the previous design review, has highlighted that further changes to the layout of the approved ERF are desirable.
“The key proposed change to the design is the removal of the Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) maturation area at the northern end of the site. It is proposed that IBA is exported from the site for maturation at existing established sites and as a result this area is no longer needed on site. The concrete wall around the IBA area would not be constructed.
“It is proposed that the car park shown to the west of the plant on the approved plans is relocated into the IBA maturation area. Making these changes means there is no need for the approved walkway into the building from the car park and this has been removed from the proposed drawings.
“Moving the car park and removing the IBA are also yields additional land within the site for landscaping and the proposals include a revised landscape master plan to show this.
“The proposed plans include a number of minor changes to the layout of the internal access roads and ancillary equipment (some of which have already been approved) and the location of doors and louvres within the façade of the ERF building, and some minor changes to the external appearance of the building including the addition of vents in the roof.
“The changes do not affect the design of the main ERF building in terms of its footprint, height and massing, nor alter the stack or internal process equipment. “All other aspects of the approved scheme remain the same. There are no changes to the proposed operation of the plant.”
It will be necessary to revisit the most recent 2014 Environmental Impact Assessment as part of this application to determine if the proposed design changes result in any significant environmental impacts and to consider appropriate mitigation measures where significant impacts are identified.”
Consultations are currently underway.