Campaigners fighting plans for a waste incinerator in Sowerby Bridge given extra time to put their case

Planning Inspector John Woolcock has given people until February 10, 2023, to make further contributions over plans for a waste incinerator to be created in Sowerby Bridge.

Mr Woolcock, hearing Calder Valley Skip Hire Ltd’s appeal against Calderdale Council’s failure to determine an environmental permit application to operate a small waste incineration plant at its Belmont site, off Rochdale Road in the town, had said he wanted to be satisfied everyone had a full and fair opportunity to present their case.

Objectors argued that as the council was not opposing the granting of a permit at the appeal, the public were effectively the opposition to it but the issue was complex.

And because of an error which meant a lengthy delay before the public were notified of the appeal – and for which the council has apologised – they claim the local authority had, in effect, a longer period of time than residents to research and prepare a case.

For Calderdale Council, counsel John Barrett said it considered it had no legitimate grounds to resist granting a permit subject to appropriate conditions, and in this the Inspector was invited to direct the council to grant the environmental permit.

Councillors Felicity Issott (Con, Ryburn) and Coun Dot Foster (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) raised questions about the issue at a full meeting of Calderdale Council, on community liaison and on monitoring, should a permit be granted.

Campaigners held a post-hearing public meeting in Sowerby Bridge last Friday as a first step in considering their next steps.

A complicated history has seen Calderdale Council refuse permission for the incinerator, that decision overturned on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, and objectors winning the right to a judicial review of a decision by the council’s Cabinet to grant an environmental permit, following which the permit was quashed.

Following this, the status of the permit application was deemed to be “undetermined” and the council had not made its decision within the time provided, argues the company’s legal team, hence the appeal against non-determination.

The Inspector will consider all submissions before making his decision.