Energy firm denies ‘exploiting loophole’ with Cheshire waste facility
A company involvbed in waste, energy and water management has strongly denied claims it wants to exploit a planning loophole to set up a controversial waste facility in Widnes[1]. French firm Veolia has submitted a partially retrospective planning application for an industrial building at the former J Bryan Victoria site on Pickerings Road.
The site has a controversial history which has seen Halebank Parish Council scupper the company’s plans to set up a waste facility there on two previous occasions. In 2021, proposals were thrown out by an independent planning inspector. That came a year after the High Court overturned Halton Council’s approval of a scheme following a judicial review set in motion by the parish council in 2019.
But now the parish council claims the firm is trying to use a ‘loophole’ in the planning system which argues that a previous use of the site by a former company establishes the principle of lawful use. In a formal objection to the latest plans, it said that the site’s former occupiers J.Bryan Victoria had previously submitted a planning application for a waste transfer and treatment facility as an extension of its scrap metal and demolition business, but that permission was never enacted.
Deputy chair of the Parish Council, Cllr John Anderton said: “The site is not an allocated waste site in the Merseyside and Halton Joint Waste Plan and neither is it within an area of search; in other words – the site is regarded as unsuitable for a waste processing use and is completely non-compliant with planning policy. It’s bad enough that they are trying for a third time, but in 2021 they pledged that this site would not be used for any waste-related activity. This is a fundamental breach of trust.”
But the firm denied that was the case and invited members of the parish council to meet at the site to discuss their concerns A spokeswoman said: “Our planning application for Pickerings Road, Widnes is to complete the construction of a building on the site. The steel frame for the building has already been erected but needs planning permission to complete.
“To be clear, we are willing to accept a condition to prevent waste storage and processing in the building, which will be used for the storage of plant and equipment.
“This process should only take a few months and will support operations on the site. We are actively engaging with council planners and would like to invite members of Halebank Parish Council to meet us on site to address their concerns.”
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References
- ^ Widnes (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
- ^ Huge fire that engulfed Cheshire town’s ‘best club’ was deliberate (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
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