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page 1.0 Background ..... 4 2.0 The Applicant ..... 4 3.0 The Site ..... 5 4.0 The Proposal ..... 7 5.0 Environmental Considerations ..... 7 5.1 Visual Impact ..... 7 5.2 Air Quality ..... 7 5.3 Traffic \& Highways ..... 7 5.4 Other Factors ..... 8 6.0 Planning Policy ..... 8 7.0 Justification ..... 10
Richmond Hill EfW
February 2008
APRC bagging extension
Planning Application
1.1 In 2000, the Isle of Man Government's Waste Plan identified a hierarchy for dealing with the island's waste. The contract was awarded to SITA to design, build, and operate an energy from waste (EfW) facility to divert waste from the island's landfill sites. The government's plan is to minimise, recycle, and recover energy through EfW, minimising the amount of waste being sent to landfill. This follows European Best Practice.
1.2 The Energy from Waste facility on the Isle of Man processes all of the island's 60,000 tonnes of municipal and commercial waste, including clinical, animal and oil waste. The facility has two incinerators. The primary incinerator uses a water-cooled grate allowing old tyres to be incinerated with the municipal waste stream. This line also includes a bulky waste shredder so that larger items of furniture can be incinerated. The secondary incinerator was designed to process up to 5,000 tonnes of clinical, animal and oil waste.
1.3 To save water the facility captures rainwater that falls on the site for use within the process and it recycles all the water used on the plant. This innovative approach reduces the demand for mains water by 40 per cent and protects the environment by negating the need for a water discharge from the facility. The whole facility is 22 per cent energy efficient operating an ultra-high efficiency 16-stage turbine with two air pre-heaters. The secondary incinerator uses a waste heat boiler that pre-heats the combustion air on the primary incinerator, again, increasing the efficiency of the whole process. The facility produces 10 per cent of the island's electricity needs.
1.4 An on-site laboratory ensures that the boiler operation and flue gas treatment systems can be monitored and corrected on a daily basis. This facility also monitors the burn out of the bottom ash to ensure that the energy contained within the waste is being fully used to generate electricity.
SITA UK North Tyneside Transfer Station Wallsend Road North Shields Tyne & Wear NE29 7SH
Tel: 0191 2588260
| Permission ref. | Dated | Issuing Authority | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| DF07/0004 07/00543/C | 05.10.2007 | Isle of Man Government | Storage of haz waste outside EfW. Variation to Condition 5 (5) of Braddan Planning Order 1998. |
| 266/01 | 01.07.2007 | Isle of Man Government | Braddan (Middle Farm) Planning Scheme (Amendment) Order 2001 – Variation to 1998 Order |
| 537/98 | 01.01.1999 | Isle of Man Government | Braddan (Middle Farm) Planning Scheme Order 1998 (Original Permission for EfW). |
2.1 This application is made by SITA (UK). SITA (UK) is the UK operating subsidiary of the European Leader in the provision of environmental services to commerce, industry and the public sector. Today, SITA (UK) is the largest waste management and related service company, with a turnover of approximately £600 million and in excess of 4000 employees. With significant experience in all aspects of integrated waste management including transfer station operation, landfill disposal, composting and energy from waste, SITA (UK) are able to provide a fully integrated range of services to all its customers. SITA Isle of Man is a wholly owned subsidiary of SITA
3.1 Richmond Hill energy from waste facility is located some 2km west south-west of Douglas and handles just over 60,000 tonnes of the island's waste. The site is located at National Grid Reference SC349747 at Douglas. The site is accessed via the A6 motorway.
3.2 The site is fully enclosed by means of palisade fencing and is secured by a gated access. The site is owned by DLGE and operated by SITA as a municipal waste management EfW facility.
3.3 The site has a history of waste management planning permissions as follows;
4.1 This application requests permission for external alterations in the form of a small extension to the west elevation of the existing facility. The layout is shown on drawing number C48567-00-AH00-XV040 Rev 0. The current EfW building will be extended as shown for the development of steel framed structure to cover the APCR outlet.
The EfW process
Figure 1: The EfW Process 4.2 The diagram above shows the various elements involved in the EfW process. The gases from the furnace are cleaned and the cleaned gas is passed through fine fabric bag filters to remove solid particles before it is released to the atmosphere through the stack. The resultant Air Pollution Control Residue (APCR), contains particles from the incineration process, lime used in the spray absorbers, salts and carbon dust. It is currently stored in a sealed silo which is connected to tankers via the external APCR outlet and is tankered away for treatment and disposal to appropriate hazardous waste facilities (namely landfill) when necessary.
4.3 In a significant change to this process SITA intends to redirect this residue to an appropriate recycling agent as opposed to direct disposal. The APCR outlet will dispense the residue into sealed bags which will then be stored within the proposed structure in preparation for shipment as and when necessary. 4.4 The proposed structure will be clad in materials to match the existing building and it will utilise the existing hardstanding. It will be a relatively small construction attached to the existing building. It will stand approximately 12.5 metres high, will be 7.5 metres wide and 13 metres long.
5.1.1 The proposed method ensures that the dispensing of the material will take place in a fully enclosed operating area. This kind of screening helps to achieve a minimum visual impact without compromising the integrity of the operation. The overall design of the extension is one of functionality, the proposal seeks to enhance a currently successful operation, increase recycling rates and divert waste from landfill.
5.2.1 The application area does not form part of nor is it in the vicinity of areas that suffer high levels of air pollution in the form of carbon dioxide, Dioxins, Nitrogen Oxides, Particulates (PM10) or Sulphur Dioxides. 5.2.2 There are expected to be some slight localised emissions decreases as a result of a reduction in vehicle movements transporting the material. Onward transfer to the recycling agent will take place via shipment.
5.3.1 The proposal is expected to decrease a limited number of traffic movements. The development would therefore have a positive impact on highway capacity, safety or traffic related environmental effects.
5.4.1 The significance of other potential impacts such as dust, litter, smell and vermin are likely to be very low given the likelihood of occurrence, due to the nature and process of the materials involved. The site currently operates without giving rise to complaints of this nature and the development involves an improvement to the existing process. Furthermore, appropriate mitigation and working practices should ensure that no adverse impacts occur during the construction of the development.
6.1 National policy on waste is at the forefront of the all Government priorities and is strongly influenced by the European Community, which has developed policies on waste through a number of directives, resolutions and communications. Regulations place a specific duty on local planning authorities to include in their development plans, policies in respect of suitable waste disposal sites or installations and to have regard to the relevant objectives set out in the EC Framework Directive on Waste, including:
6.2 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan - Towards a Sustainable Island sets out the Department of Local Government and the Environment's strategic aims and objectives for the Isle of Man, and the policies by which these objectives will be administered. Strategic Policy 1 seeks to ensure the best use of resources and to contribute towards recycling and waste reduction. The proposed development is located so as to utilise existing infrastructure, facilities and services and reflects the objective for increased recycling in accordance with this Policy.
6.3 The application is considered to be in full compliance with Waste Policy 1 of the strategic plan in that it is in accordance with the Island's Waste Management Strategy and will not have an adverse impact or effect on local amenity, character or safety. 6.4 The Waste Management Strategy 2000 provides the basis for a more proactive approach to all aspects of waste management, and encourages effective regulation, increasing resource efficiency and stimulating investment in waste collection and treatment. A Review of the loM Waste Management Strategy (Interim Report March 2007) states that sustainable development is a challenge for the Island and is quite clear that focus should be directed to driving waste up the waste hierarchy. The APCR residue is currently disposed of in landfill and this development will therefore result in further diversion from this method of disposal.
7.1 The principle of EfW has already been established in planning permission reference: 537/98. SITA believes that Richmond Hill EfW has an important role to play in achieving sustainable waste management. The site is able to make provision for this development can therefore ensure that incompatible land uses do not occur in close proximity. The proposed development is intended to recover and reclaim materials that have a re-use value and therefore will not require disposal by landfill. 7.2 The application area is not visible from residential and recreational areas. The design and location of the facility is such that it will not have a negative impact on the amenity of the surrounding area. Due to the enclosure of the existing operation it is not anticipated that this application will give rise to any additional negative environmental externalities on the surrounding areas, particularly in respect to noise, dust or odour. The existing facility has been operating successfully without giving rise to complaints from the general public; there is no evidence to suggest that this should not continue at Richmond Hill. 7.3 The proposal reflects the aims of the waste hierarchy as set out in PPS 10 Planning for Sustainable Waste Management and it will add to the Isle of Man's recycling capabilities. 7.4 SITA is committed to providing an excellent service in the Isle of Man by building on its existing operation and the Company's already strong re-use and recycling principles without compromising the amenity of the surrounding area and its residents. Whilst we do not envisage any issues, SITA will closely monitor the operation and will endeavour to act upon any bad neighbour complaints from its operations.
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