Dorset Council has submitted its response to the Environment Agency’s consultation on Powerfuel Portland Limited’s application to vary its environmental permit for the Portland Energy Recovery Facility. The consultation focuses on proposed changes to permitted waste types and related environmental controls. You can read the full response here.
In a covering letter to accompany the response, Leader of Dorset Council Cllr. Nick Ireland, writes:-
“Whilst we appreciate that the Environment Agency are seeking some technical and public health considerations to the permit variation consultation regarding Powerfuel Portland Limited, it would be remiss of me to not reiterate that Dorset Council has opposed the siting of a waste incinerator in this sensitive location from the outset, and this remains our position.
“You will see from the consultation response that we have serious concerns regarding the variation, and a number of our initial concerns stated in February remain unanswered. The environmental permit variation application to increase the permitted waste types by 68 categories is unacceptable. The approved permit allows primarily for non-hazardous refuse derived fuel and the addition of such a range of other waste types will alter the profile of the waste, the incineration process, combustion gases, and bottom ash.
“The reliance on the homogenous mixing of waste types prior to incineration is inherently unreliable and will lead to hot spots or concentrations within the waste mix adversely altering emissions to the environment. We believe this variation poses unacceptable risks to public health and environmental quality, contrary to the principles of sustainable development and Dorset Council’s statutory duties.
“The transport of additional waste types to the site are likely to result in additional HGV movements with their associated impact on communities and may breach planning conditions. The storage of such wastes on the site will lead additional odour and nuisance. It is simply not right or fair that these changes should be made without concrete and clear mitigations in place, especially given the strong feelings against this development.
“As we have communicated previously, the effects of this development on Portland communities and wider communities alongside transport routes remain unacceptable. The potential effects of a waste incineration process on an environment, much of which is under National Landscape and World Heritage designations, are not acceptable, and this proposed variation increases the level of uncertainty. These matters have been detailed in the council’s response to the initial environmental permit application, the planning application and at the Public Local Inquiry.
“I have to say that I feel that Portland is a community that at times feels like it is ‘done to’ rather than ‘listened to’ by government, and the whole process associated with the decision-making of the incinerator has felt arbitrary and totally out of kilter with community needs. I trust that the evidence that we have provided today will enable an informed decision to be made that genuinely takes local impact into consideration.
“In light of the above and the detailed comments provided, I strongly believe that this application should be rejected.”
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Nick Ireland, Leader of Dorset Council
