Council faces legal challenge to permission for new type of waste incinerator

Protesters have said they will take Derby City Council to judicial review after it gave planning permission for temporary use of a new type of waste incinerator.

The grant of permission will allow Envirofusion to burn waste at a site in the Darley Abbey area to test a technology claimed to convert waste to electricity. Local campaigners have said it could cause pollution and nuisance.

The Darley Abbey community website stated that the project included erection of a 20 metre high chimney and that many people living nearby were unaware of the planning application as it was described in obscure technical language and, since no-one lives within 15 metres of the site, none were formally notified as adjacent residents.

It said Envirofusion intended to test its technology for 100 hours a week, burning some 14,000 tonnes of waste a year.

A council spokesperson, said: “The planning application was received in October 2016 and was subject to several rounds of consultation and publicity.

“Planning permission was granted for development of facilities to enable the testing of a new technology, and erection of external 20 metre high chimney stack for a temporary period of 18 months

“This is a temporary use…it is not a new energy to waste facility.”

Envirofusion did not respond to a request for comment.

Mark Smulian