BASILDON Council has reiterated its opposition to the development of a new waste facility on land to the south of Archers Field in Pitsea.

Basildon-based recycling firm Clearaway plans to build the £50 million plant, which will feature two huge chimneys, on the Burnt Mills industrial estate and it will burn landfill waste to create energy.

Last month Basildon Nub News reported on a call by Basildon Council leader Cllr Gavin Callaghan for the public to unite in opposition to the scheme which falls under the planning gift of Essex County Council.

Clearaway say the site will "create secure, low carbon sources of energy" but its opponents are concerned about the local environmental impact, the proximity of another huge waste recycling plant nearby, the danger presented by hundred of HGVs going to and from the site from all parts of the county and emissions of sulphur dioxide from the chimneys.

Cllr Callaghan says: "This is Essex County Council bringing forward a plan to put another waste plan into Pitsea and will mean we are the dumping ground of Essex once again."

The application has been publicly opposed by the council, and its opposition was unanimously agreed by councillors at a meeting of the Staffing Matters and Review Sub-Committee back in May 2020.

Essex County Council are currently undergoing a consultation period on the plans, which runs until 20 March. Details of the consultation will be presented to councillors at this evening's (10 March) Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee.

Comittee chairman Cllr David Harrison says: "The proposed development is within a dense urban area, with residential properties closer than 200 metres from the site. The potential noise impact on local residents at night is a big concern, and this isn't suitably accounted for in the acoustic report.

"The scheme will deliver very limited economic benefits, in terms of job creation and the level of the limited number of jobs it will create. And it could adversely impact on new, high end, innovative businesses which the council is looking to attract to Basildon"

Cllr Callaghan has added tyo his earlier comments, saying: "We as a council are in strong opposition to the building of this new waste facility. We are concerned about various elements of the plans.

"Rather than encouraging recycling, re-using, or waste prevention, which we should be using as a county, the proposed facility will use the principle of burning waste to generate heat and power. This approach utilises outdated technology that performs at the lower end of the waste hierarchy.

"The council have been working hard in the last two years to improve air quality issues around the A127. The threat of the government imposing a Clean Air Zone would seriously affect businesses based on our industrial sites in Basildon, and this waste plant could potentially undo the great work we've done to try and stop that from happening."