Consultation starts in the face of opposition to hazardous waste incinerator
Waste company Fornax wants to operate a high-temperature thermal-treatment facility in County Durham
By Bill Edgar, Local Democracy Reporter
Residents have been invited to have their say on a controversial incinerator’s plans to burn hazardous waste.
Fornax wants to operate a high-temperature thermal-treatment facility near Newton Aycliffe, and if a permit is approved, would be able to accept hazardous and clinical waste for incineration.
The company said up to 10,500 tonnes would be incinerated per year at its new site in the Merchant Park estate.
Despite overwhelming community opposition, the facility was granted permission to operate by the Government at a planning appeal in 2022. However, objectors fear it will burn toxic and industrial waste, which could release dangerous pollutants into the air.
The facility is located just a short distance from schools, care homes, and playgrounds, with the UTC South Durham and Little Clubs Nursery nearby. The Stop the Heighington Lane Incineration Plant Campaign group is asking for a full independent health and environmental review of the site before it can open.
“If this goes ahead, a 12-mile radius could be facing decades of exposure to harmful pollutants, many invisible and long-lasting,” campaigners said.
The campaign against the initial proposal spanned several months and included a public inquiry, where residents clashed with Fornax representatives over the contents of the plans. But planning inspector John Woolcock said many of the concerns were not “well founded” and the incinerator would not damage human health.
The consultation is now live on the Environment Agency’s Citizen Space site: Fornax Ltd consultation. It will run until June 27.
The Environment Agency said it would only issue the permit if it’s satisfied the operator could comply with the permit conditions and has appropriate systems in place to operate the incinerator with a high level of protection of the environment and human health.
Gary Wallace, area environment manager in the North East, said: “Our regulatory controls are in place to protect people and the environment and we will carry out a detailed and rigorous assessment of Fornax’s permit application.
“We may only refuse a permit application if it does not meet the legal requirements under environmental legislation, including if it will have an unacceptable impact on the environment or harm human health.
“We understand there is local interest in the proposed site, and we welcome comments from the public and interested groups on environmental factors that people feel are important.”
Residents, businesses, and representatives from organisations involved with the project can attend a public meeting at Heighington Village Hall on June 16.