Controversial scheme to set up a huge new waste-processing plant in an historic Harborough village is recommended for refusal

The council’s planning officer dealing with the application is recommending to councillors that the recycling centre be refused at a crunch planning meeting
The Shawell residents protest against the proposed waste-sorting facility, 450m from the village.The Shawell residents protest against the proposed waste-sorting facility, 450m from the village.
The Shawell residents protest against the proposed waste-sorting facility, 450m from the village.

A controversial scheme to set up a huge new waste-processing plant in an historic Harborough village is set to be turned down by Leicestershire County Council tomorrow (Thursday).

The highly-contentious blueprint to open the recycling centre in Shawell, near Lutterworth, will be vetted by the council’s development control and regulatory board at 2pm tomorrow afternoon.

And crucially the council’s planning officer dealing with the application, Sophie Hughes, is recommending to councillors that the Gibbet Lane project be refused at the crunch meeting.

“The proposed development would conflict with the locational policies of the Leicestershire Minerals and Waste Local Plan, which seeks to locate new waste developments within or around the main urban areas,” she has told councillors.

“The proposed development would result in a strategic facility on a greenfield site in a remote rural location, contrary to policy W3 of the Leicestershire Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

“The site is poorly located in respect to waste arisings and to sustainable transport choices.

“The proposal lacks any demonstrable colocation benefits and involves the exportation of the vast majority of waste outputs by HGV to distant and dispersed locations.

“Furthermore, it has not been demonstrated as to why the facility could not be located in the urban areas.

“Therefore, the application, if approved would be contrary to policy W3.”

The initiative by Dublin-based Beauparc Group to turn Cotesbach Mechanical Biological Treatment Unit, closed since 2016, into a waste-processing centre has been fought all year by furious villagers.

The unit would process over 150,000 tonnes of waste from all over the UK a year.

Outraged protesters are warning the enormous blueprint would spark thousands more lorry trips every year, triggering catastrophic congestion on rural roads.

Some 240 local people have submitted objections to the county council about the proposed waste-processing headquarters.

South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa, local Harborough councillor Jonathan Bateman, Harborough council’s planning team and local Shawell and Lutterworth councillors have also all blasted the under-fire plan.

Local MP Alberto Costa said: “I, like many of my constituents, are of the opinion that approval of this application would be of significant detriment to the historic, rural village of Shawell and its nearby infrastructure.

“For ease, I have more fully outlined the reasons for my objection below:

“1. The application in question contravenes Leicestershire County Council’s Minerals and Waste Local Plan in that - a) Facilities should be located near to waste arisings (typically near urban areas, not rural areas) – b) Road transport should be minimised, however the applicant’s own application states that ‘black bag’ waste will be imported from Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and that plastic waste will come from the ‘M62 Corridor’ and North of London – c) There is no advantage of the co-location with the existing Shawell Landfill as a significant portion of the 150,000 tonnes mentioned in the planning application will be further transported elsewhere – d) the importing of waste via HGVs into the proposed site will increase the County’s carbon emissions.

“2. The site, if approved, will bring much greater levels of HGV traffic through the already congested Gibbet Roundabout.

“3. The site, if approved, will have a significantly detrimental impact on the environment both within the Shawell village locality and the wider Leicestershire area in that – a) 775 complaints were made to the Environment Agency about foul odours and fly infestations during the site’s previous operational use – b) An increase, of a likely considerable degree, of carbon emissions in the Shawell village locality, therefore detrimentally impacting air quality for inhabitants and wildlife.”

Cllr Bateman, who represents both Cotesbach and Shawell on Harborough council, said: “As Ward Member for Harborough District Council I formally object to this application.

“I do not believe the application is compliant with the LCC Waste and Minerals Policy which clearly states waste processing facilities should process locally produced waste, not that that is brought in from across the UK.

“In addition, I am not satisfied that an up to date and relevant assessment of current traffic levels has been undertaken since the extant permission of 300 HGV movements was permitted.

“I note that less than 20 per cent of the 150k tonnes of waste is destined for recycling, which amounts to 30k tonnes, leaving an immense 120k tonnes destined for the landfill site, when the site was previously in use, the amount of landfill was substantially less, yet the local area was plagued by flies and foul odour.

“I fully support all the objections to this application and would ask that the authority refuse it.”

Cllr Howard Jones, the chairman of Shawell Parish Meeting, said: “It will be good to finally get this proposal in front of the planning committee on Thursday.

“The spectre of this industrial scale central waste processing plant has been hanging over our communities all this summer.

“They have made an excellent case to show how this makes no environmental sense - and contravenes Leicestershire's planning policies on many levels."

Cllr Tony Hirons, the member for Lutterworth Town Council’s Orchard Ward, said: “I wish to object in the strongest possible terms to this application for two reasons.

“1. 300 weekly vehicle movements.

“Lutterworth High Street (A426) is already one of the most polluted areas in Leicestershire, something which your current plans for 2,750 extra houses (Lutterworth East) will only worsen.

“2. Where do you expect to recruit labour for this facility from?

“The Magna Park Distribution Centre (less than 2 miles from Shawell) already pulls in workers from Coventry, Birmingham and Staffordshire. Lutterworth and the surrounding areas has effectively 0 per cent unemployment - so where will you recruit?”

Natasha Raven, 42, who has helped to spearhead bitter protests to the planned plant, said: “We are delighted that the planning officer has recommended that this huge awful project be refused.

“All of us here in Shawell and Cotesbach are now just hoping that this outrageous scheme is kicked out and that this terrifying threat that’s been hanging over all our heads is finally removed.

“We will fight to the bitter end to protect our tiny historic and beautiful village.”

You can find out more about tomorrow’s critical county council meeting and watch it online by visiting the council’s dedicated webpage here: http://politics.leics.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=6124