Image credit Peel Energy

Peel Energy’s Barton Renewable Energy Plant in Davyhulme, Manchester has been granted planning permission by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) following a public inquiry.

Trafford Council had refused permission for the biomass incineration facility to be built on a 12-acre site adjacent to the Davyhulme waste water treatment works in November 2011, citing concerns that it would have a detrimental impact on air quality.

Following an appeal by Peel Energy, the decision went to a public inquiry in November 2012. The Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation for the plant to go ahead was then backed by DCLG’s Secretary of State Eric Pickles, last Monday (13 May).

Energy plant details

Peel Energy, the company set to run the plant, described the project as ‘a £70m proposal that would generate renewable electricity for at least 25 years’. Over 100 people will be employed during the construction of the site, it said, with 15 permanent jobs being made available once the plant opens in 2016.

The incinerator will run on around 200,000 tonnes of biomass per year, much of which will come from ‘reclaimed wood’ and ‘potentially’ divert much of this material from landfill, says the company.

The site will reportedly generate enough electricity to power 37,000 homes..

Peel Energy Project Manager Jon England, said: “We would like to thank both the Secretary of State and the planning inspector for giving the plans a fair hearing. We realise that applications like these are not easy. However, these are exactly the kind of decisions that are required if the UK is to meet its renewable energy targets, reduce reliance on imported energy and avoid valuable resources going into landfill.

“We are very pleased with the outcome and look forward to taking the project on to the next stage, ultimately delivering renewable energy and jobs for the region. We will continue to inform the community about forthcoming phases of the development.”

Local opposition

However, the decision has been condemned by the Breathe Clean Air Group (BCAG), a campaign group from the local area, who said that an ‘historic and unprecedented level of opposition’ had been ‘swept aside’.

It described the decision by the DCLG as a ‘devastating blow to the people of Trafford, Salford and Manchester’, citing concerns over public health and the ‘inadequate technology’ of the ‘outdated’ plant.

In March 2013, BCAG challenged the Environment Agency (EA) over the legality of its decision to grant the Davyhulme facility an environmental permit, claiming that the EA had ‘failed to take notice of crucial information’ regarding the potential air pollution produced by the plant. It claimed that the EA had therefore ‘clearly flouted the law’ in granting the permit.

UK air quality breach

This is not the first time concerns have been raised over air quality in the UK. On 1 May the UK Supreme Court ruled that the UK government was in breach of European Union regulations on air quality, marking the first time a UK court has judged the government to be in breach of its European air quality commitments.

In light of the judgement, BCAG wrote to Eric Pickles, requesting that he refuse planning permission for the Davyhulme plant.

At the time Pete Kilvert, BCAG Chairman, said: “This historic ruling by the Supreme Court marks a turning point in the campaign for clean air and puts pressure on the government to take steps to clean the air we breathe. We will take full advantage of this to protect the people of Trafford, Salford and Manchester.

“Of crucial importance is the irritant and toxic gas, nitrogen dioxide. This is a product of combustion and is emitted from motor vehicles as well as the proposed incinerator. As the incinerator is to be located next to the M60 motorway, where the nitrogen dioxide levels are already well above the safety limit, it is vital for the health of local residents that the incinerator is not built.”

In a statement issued after Pickles’ decision to grant the plant planning permission, the group stated that by overturning a decision made by the local authority, DCLG made an ‘ironic’ move against it’s remit, which ‘includes supporting local councils’.

Peel Energy states that it hopes to begin construction on the Barton Renewable Energy Plant in 2014, with the hopes of it being completed and operational by 2016.

Read more about the Barton Renewable Energy Plant.