Incinerator report advises approval
A council committee has been advised to approve a company’s latest application to build a waste incinerator on land near Glenfarg.
Planning officials have prepared a report recommending the local authority’s development management committee approve the Binn Group’s application next week.
The report says the company expects it will need to employ around 30 people to run the energy from waste plant once it is built. The furnace will burn through nearly 85,000 tonnes of rubbish every year.
“The proposed development will accept non-hazardous, mixed residual local authority collected wastes and mixed residual wastes of similar composition from commercial/ industrial sources,” the report explains.
“It would also accept suitable process residues from off-site treatment plants and usable elements of construction and demolition waste.”
The council’s report of handling goes on to say the proposed plant will produce enough electricity to supply around 7.3mW to the national grid every year.
It says: “In combination with the four on-site wind turbines, the construction of the ...facility will enhance low carbon energy generation and both will offset carbon emissions from existing diesel generators used at the site.
“The energy produced by the facility will be 8.6mW per annum, with 1.3mW for use within the Binn Farm complex and the excess (7.3mW) will be exported to the national grid.”
The report adds well over two dozen HGVs might end moving to and from the facility along local roads to either drop off or collect waste every day once it is operational.
It says: “Delivery and servicing of the proposed ... facility would be supported by HGVs, with 70 per cent of these transporting up to 20 tonnes of waste each and 30 per cent transporting five tonnes of refuse waste. There will also be movements from the export of waste, accounting for 24 per cent of throughput tonnage.
“It is anticipated that this would translate to approximately five HGV vehicles per hour delivering to the site with a daily demand of 32 inbound and 32 outbound trips on weekdays and 16 each way on a Saturday.”
The report recommends councillors agree to add a condition to any consent granted for the scheme requiring the Binn Group to produce a traffic management plan setting out how the company intends to encourage HGV drivers to stick to the main roads when travelling to and from the site.
A draft condition says the plan “should specify proposals that encourage all HGVs delivering or servicing to/from the ... facility to access the site via Junction 9 of the M90 and thereafter the northern approach to the site via the A912”.
The paper concludes: “The proposed development will contribute significantly to the reduction of waste sent to landfill outwith Perth and Kinross and will provide renewable energy for local use and distribution to the grid and [lower] carbon demand.
“The facility will provide valuable fulltime jobs, both during construction and operation, and gross value added, which [will] provide a notable contribution to the Perth and Kinross economy.”
The council’s development management committee will consider the report and its recommendation to approve the Binn Group’s application this coming Wednesday.