Questions have been asked around odour issues after an exclusive waste incinerator was approved for North Belfast.
Developers insisted there would be no odour impact from a planned new waste disposal installation, which will be the only centre in the whole of the island of Ireland to incinerate healthcare and hazardous waste, while also generating renewable energy.
At the January Belfast City Council Planning Committee meeting (January 19), elected representatives unanimously approved the proposed change of use and redevelopment of the existing waste management facility and adjoining plant hire business at 1 and 2 Duncrue Pass, Belfast BT3.
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Unit 1 currently comprises an existing waste transfer station and materials recovery facility operated by Ace Bates Skip Hire Ltd. Planning permission was recently granted to extend this waste management use into the adjoining Unit 2. Unit 2 is currently leased by Speedy Hire, which operates a commercial plant hire business.
The developer is United Energy Waste Management Ltd, of Enterprise Road, Bangor. The application was first due to be considered by the Planning Committee in October 2023 but was deferred after a number of council site visits. United Energy Waste Management Ltd states that the proposal is an “on-island solution and an alternative to shipping waste to GB or Europe”.
The waste it will deal with includes healthcare waste from hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, care homes, as well as veterinary and sanitary waste. It also includes “hazardous waste” - this includes waste from industrial and commercial processes, laboratories and government controlled sources such as confiscated alcohol, drugs and tobacco.
Other waste includes matter from the travel industry, such as regulated international catering waste from planes and cruise shops, items like sanitary and non-food catering waste. The developer states that these other wastes would constitute around 5 percent to 10 percent of the total input.
The so-called 'waste streams' will be controlled through the Pollution Prevention Control permit administered by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency at the Stormont Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs.
The site is within the Belfast Harbour Estate which is predominantly industrial in nature. The site is situated in the west of the industrial estate, located on the corner of Duncrue Pass and Duncrue Place and extends to approximately one hectare in area.
The proposed facility will have a capacity of 20,000 tonnes of waste per annum. On the whole, the island of Ireland currently generates around 43,000 tonnes of clinical waste annually, that is 13,000 tonnes in NI and 30,000 tonnes in ROI. The 20,000 tonnes pa would be capped by the Pollution Prevention Control permit.
The developer states there are no proposals to import waste, which would require additional licensing under the PPC permit. Council officers recommended imposing a condition preventing the importation of waste from outside the island of Ireland.
The proposed facility can generate up to 10 megawatts in heat, which could convert to one to two megawatts electricity. The developer states that this amount of energy could power 2,000 to 4,000 homes annually - in order of priority, they say the primary energy use will be as a local heat supply, then a local electricity source, and finally, exported to the national grid.
No residential neighbours were notified as there are none adjacent to the site, the council said. Publicity for the application was carried out in accordance with statutory requirements, that is, neighbour notification, advertisement in the press, and as an application in the NI Planning Portal. There were no statutory bodies objecting to the plan.
The council planning report states: “The proposal is not for major development. Therefore, there is no statutory requirement for the applicant to undertake 'Pre-Application Community Consultation'.
“However, the applicant undertook a voluntary pre-application community consultation process before the application was made. This was undertaken by the applicant in view of the sensitive nature of the proposal.”
It adds: “The method of pre-application community consultation included: engagement with local political representatives, newspaper advertisement and leaflet drop (within 200m of site).
“Three feedback forms were received, two in favour of the proposal and one objecting, advocating a public park instead. There were concerns about odour emissions.”
Officers recommended the plan for approval, with a list of draft conditions.
During the Planning Committee meeting at City Hall, Alliance Councillor David Bell said: “It appears to be buried within an industrial site, but right beside the front door of that site runs a cycle lane which goes from Belfast to Carrickfergus, which I have used several times.
“You become aware of that site before you see it, because it stinks. You are aware you are passing a site that is processing waste. So I would be concerned for people using the cycle path.”
A representative for the developer said: “In terms of the two different types of waste facilities - what you currently have there is a mixed waste facility, that handles everything from your black and blue bins, which might have food residues within it.
“The difference between that, and what we are currently proposing is that this will be a closed facility. All of the waste brought into this facility will not only be brought in sealed bags from the hospitals, veterinarians, care homes, but also in sealed waste bins. It will be stored in a chilled area, and the bins will be directly loaded into the incineration plant.
“The bins will then be lifted and sterilised. It is a very different process, and the waste will not have the same connection with the elements.”
Another representative for the developer, who completed an air quality impact assessment on the application, told councillors: “I don’t disagree that the current waste disposal system, which is a very open air treatment, would likely generate a potential odour. In comparison, this proposal would be a very modern waste management facility, a brand new building which will be built to relevant technical specifications to ensure that everything is wholly contained within that building.
“It will have a series of mitigation measures which will be incorporated into the design of the building, such as fast-action roller-shutter doors, which will prevent any potential odour to be released from the building. The operation of the incineration process runs following an induced draft fan, in essence that pulls air through the combustion process.”
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