HCC's plan for a huge waste incinerator at New Barnfield at Hatfield has been refused by the Secretary of State For Communities & Local Government for a variety of reasons. These include: it's inappropriateness in the location (next to a special needs school and near grade 1 listed Hatfield House); because it was in the green belt; the fact that it inhibits other (better!) waste technologies from being implemented for many years to come and; that it doesn't significantly add to the employment levels in the area. It doesn't mention the fact that places like Ware would have been under the plume from its chimney.
You can see a very readable summary here .. http://ukwin.org.uk/2014/07/09/new-barnfield-refusal/
I've been wondering how much HCC has spent on this failed process and whether they are contractually obliged to pay even more of our council tax payments to the proposed operator, Veolia, because it failed. This has happened in other counties.
HCC have said they don't really have a plan 'B' for waste management in the county and will take some while whilst they think about this.
Hatfield Incinerator Refused
Re: Hatfield Incinerator Refused
This is very good news - for Hatfield and Welwyn, and for everyone who might otherwise live under the prevailing wind - that is Hertford and Ware in particular. And its good news for recycling, and for better, more environmentally aware technologies to remove genuine waste from our world.
It will be interesting to see if this decision causes the Ware incinerator to be resurrected, but the reasons not to are exactly the same - nearby schools, nearby town, nearby Hanbury Manor, Green Belt - its all rather similar.
Maybe, at last, wisdom is dawning ....
It will be interesting to see if this decision causes the Ware incinerator to be resurrected, but the reasons not to are exactly the same - nearby schools, nearby town, nearby Hanbury Manor, Green Belt - its all rather similar.
Maybe, at last, wisdom is dawning ....
Re: Hatfield Incinerator Refused
That makes very interesting reading, thanks WickenMan.
It seems to me there are some pretty big implications for Ware in there; as Scottman points out the proposed expansion of Presdales pit is almost identical to the Barnfield site except on a smaller scale.
In particular the government view of the importance of the green belt and the strength that will be needed in order to develop it is encouraging. I would hope this will have major implications for the plans to build north of Ware both in terms of both loss of green belt and also eroding the "remaining gap" between Ware and Thundridge.
It seems to me there are some pretty big implications for Ware in there; as Scottman points out the proposed expansion of Presdales pit is almost identical to the Barnfield site except on a smaller scale.
In particular the government view of the importance of the green belt and the strength that will be needed in order to develop it is encouraging. I would hope this will have major implications for the plans to build north of Ware both in terms of both loss of green belt and also eroding the "remaining gap" between Ware and Thundridge.
Re: Hatfield Incinerator Refused
Latest news from Hatfield Against Incineration (HAI)
"On August 14th Veolia issued a statutory challenge to the Secretary of State concerning his decision to refuse planning permission for an incinerator at New Barnfield. Herts County Council is not involved in this challenge. The challenge is made by Veolia alone. The Secretary of State’s representatives will defend his decision in court.
"Hatfield against Incineration do not know the grounds on which Veolia are challenging the Secretary of State, apart from Veolia’s statement that “having studied the Secretary of State's decision we believe that current policy and law have been misapplied”. We will attempt to find out what the grounds are.
"We are pleased that Herts County Council (via County Councillor Terry Douris and Simon Aries, Head of Environmental Operations and Resource Planning) are still saying what they said following the Sec of State’s decision against the incinerator: 'It is proposed that Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet will meet in November to consider our next steps. This will include whether to terminate the contract or to ask Veolia to develop alternative plans for diverting Hertfordshire’s waste from landfill'."
"Meanwhile, the Planning Long-Stop date will be reached later this August, and Veolia’s proposed incinerator will not have gained planning permission by this date. It is highly likely that the government (Defra) offer of money under PFI to build the incinerator (£200 million) will be withdrawn.
"Herts County Council needs now to concentrate on what better waste management methods they will use in future, because the proposed incinerator has been rejected by the Inquiry Inspector and by the Secretary of State. This statutory challenge by Veolia is just a distraction."
"On August 14th Veolia issued a statutory challenge to the Secretary of State concerning his decision to refuse planning permission for an incinerator at New Barnfield. Herts County Council is not involved in this challenge. The challenge is made by Veolia alone. The Secretary of State’s representatives will defend his decision in court.
"Hatfield against Incineration do not know the grounds on which Veolia are challenging the Secretary of State, apart from Veolia’s statement that “having studied the Secretary of State's decision we believe that current policy and law have been misapplied”. We will attempt to find out what the grounds are.
"We are pleased that Herts County Council (via County Councillor Terry Douris and Simon Aries, Head of Environmental Operations and Resource Planning) are still saying what they said following the Sec of State’s decision against the incinerator: 'It is proposed that Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet will meet in November to consider our next steps. This will include whether to terminate the contract or to ask Veolia to develop alternative plans for diverting Hertfordshire’s waste from landfill'."
"Meanwhile, the Planning Long-Stop date will be reached later this August, and Veolia’s proposed incinerator will not have gained planning permission by this date. It is highly likely that the government (Defra) offer of money under PFI to build the incinerator (£200 million) will be withdrawn.
"Herts County Council needs now to concentrate on what better waste management methods they will use in future, because the proposed incinerator has been rejected by the Inquiry Inspector and by the Secretary of State. This statutory challenge by Veolia is just a distraction."