The Council has today (Tuesday) clarified its position on Tata’s planning application in Lostock, Northwich.
TATA’s application to increase the capacity of its Energy from Waste plant from 60MW up to 90MW will be decided by the Secretary of State.
There are no material planning grounds on which the Council can object to Tata’s application. The Council has however submitted a letter to the Secretary of State expressing its continued concern about the impact of the plant on the area, as well as the cumulative impact of similar, adjacent developments.
Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Karen Shore said: “The Council has been monitoring levels of the main pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on the A530 between Rudheath and Lostock for a number of years. In 2017, the levels of NO2 were 33.9 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m³) – well below national and EU annual targets. At the nearest residential building it was 28.2ug/m³
“Earlier this year, following concerns raised by local residents and the Parish Council, we decided to re-establish the monitoring site on Griffiths Road. Initial indications are that NO2 levels continue to be well below the threshold.”
The Government’s technical guidance identifies roads with more than 2,500 HGV daily movements as requiring further monitoring or assessment of particulate levels. Planning conditions attached to the three sites in this location limit the total number of daily HGV movements to 534 on weekdays and 260 on Saturdays, which is well below this number.