Attention - Public Inquiry Adjournment

A planning application was submitted by Veolia Environmental Services Nottinghamshire in November 2007 for an Energy Recovery Facility (waste incinerator), on land at the former Rufford Colliery, Rainworth.

The planning application includes:

  • an energy recovery facility, or waste incinerator that generates electricity to feed into the power supply
  • waste bulking and transfer station
  • administrative and visitor centre
  • landscaping
  • creation of a new internal haul road

The energy recovery facility will be able to process 180,000 tonnes of household waste, and some commercial waste, per year through incineration and would generate electricity which is to be fed back into the national grid.

The County Council hosted a series of public consultations on the planning application between December 2007 and November 2008. The planning application was then taken to the Council’s Planning and Licensing Committee meeting on the 9 January 2009. The Committee decided in favour of granting planning permission. However, because of the size of the development and because it did not completely fit with all of the policies contained in the approved development plan, the County Council needed to tell the Department for Communities and Local Government about the application before we could issue planning permission. Such planning applications are commonly referred to as ‘departure’ planning applications.

Following the 'departure procedures' , the County Council notified the Secretary of State of its decision to support a grant of planning permission in January 2009.

In March 2009 the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government directed that the planning application should be ‘called-in’ for determination by the Government. This means the planning application will be considered at a public inquiry, led by a planning inspector appointed by the Secretary of State, who will make recommendations to the Secretary of State who will have the final decision on the planning application.

A date was set for the public inquiry, which began on Tuesday 6 October 2009 and was expected to finish on Friday 23 October 2009. Subsequently the Public Inquiry was adjourned on 8 October 2009 at the request of the applicant Veolia Environmental Services Nottinghamshire so further investigation into the possibility of the area being made an SPA because of the high population numbers of the birds.  The Public Inquiry will reconvene on 13 April 2010.

The Public Inquiry will be held at Rainworth Village Hall.

Attention - Public Inquiry Adjournment

8 October 2009 - The applicant Veolia Environmental Services Nottinghamshire requested an adjournment to the Public Inquiry and Inquiry inspector Rupert Grantham decided to adjourn the public inquiry until 13 April 2010 so that Veolia Environmental Services Nottinghamshire can do further investigation into the possibility of the area being made an SPA because of the high population numbers of the birds.

This, and following web pages will act as a central resource for the planning application information. We will post statements and evidence submitted from interested parties and a library of the core documents which will inform the public inquiry and the Secretary of State’s decision. The records are a ‘live’ document and will be regularly updated as further information becomes available.

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