Sowerby Bridge: Incinerator permit plan resubmitted by Calder Valley Skip Hire

A public consultation has begun after a new application was submitted for a controversial waste incinerator.

Calder Valley Skip Hire has applied to Calderdale Council for an environmental permit to operate a plant on Rochdale Road in Sowerby Bridge.

The council refused a previous plan in 2017, with a subsequent appeal dismissed by the government in 2023.

If granted, Calder Valley Skip Hire said it would burn up to 10,000 tonnes of waste a year at the site.

Documents from the skip removal company show the incinerator would be used to burn waste that can not be recycled from a transfer station at the same site.

Planning permission has already been granted for the small waste incinerator, but an environmental permit is also needed for it to operate.

Campaigners against the plant have argued granting the permit would have an adverse affect on air quality and their health.

When Calderdale Council previously refused planning permission in 2017, the decision was later overturned on appeal to the planning inspectorate, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

An environmental permit was also granted at the time, but then quashed after objectors sought a judicial review over the council's decision making.

As a result the status of the permit application was deemed to be "undetermined" prompting the company's appeal, which the planning inspectorate determined by dismissing it.

Jenny Lynn, cabinet member for public services and communities, said: "We invite local people to share their views on the new Environmental Permit request from Calder Valley Skip Hire.

"The Council will consider the application at the end of the consultation period, taking all comments on board, with the support of an external specialist for an independent view."

The 35-day public consultation runs until Monday 1 April.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].