Newton Aycliffe waste incinerator plan binned by councillors

Plans for a waste incinerator which drew hundreds of objections from residents have been rejected.

Fornax Environmental Solutions wanted to burn up to 10,500 tonnes of clinical and hazardous waste a year at Merchant Park estate in Newton Aycliffe.

Despite its officers recommending the scheme's approval, Durham County Council's planning committee refused.

Almost 500 people signed a petition against the plan with the council receiving 290 objections.

The "high temperature thermal treatment facility" would have had a 98ft (30m) tall stack and operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Christine Walton, representing Great Aycliffe Town Council, told the committee: "The local community is overwhelmingly against the proposal."

She said it would do long-term harm and no real benefit to the community, posing "a very real risk and health concerns for a large number of people".

Resident Hilda Longley said: "If the incinerator is built, the air will not be fresh. The right to breathe clean air will be gone."

The applicant said it would be a "showpiece in a network of facilities across the UK".

They argued the facility would cut the carbon footprint of the county's waste, destroying materials safely with constant monitoring and no offensive noise or smells, with no objection from the Environment Agency or public health officers.

Council officers recommended approval of the plan, saying the environmental impacts were "not unacceptable" and the plant could operate safely.

Principal planning officer Claire Teasdale said specialist technical experts raised no objections, and the public concerns had been considered but were "not sufficient to outweigh the planning judgment".

Councillor Craig Martin recommended refusal of the plan, not on environmental grounds but because it was not suitable for this particular industrial estate and could negatively affect businesses.

He pointed to an objection from neighbouring railway factory Hitachi - "one of the jewels in the crown of employment that we've had in the last 10 years" - that it could harm their work.

The committee's refusal prompted applause and cries of "thank you" from the scheme's opponents.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].