Sutton Council has raised concerns over the Environment Agency‘s (EA) decision to grant permission for an increase in waste treatment at the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility.
The council is demanding an explanation from the EA as to why this expansion has been approved.
The EA will initiate a second stage, six-week consultation starting today.
Viridor South London Limited, the operator of Beddington Energy Recovery Facility, sought a permit variation last year to increase the facility’s capacity.
Following a review of public comments received during the previous consultation in November-December 2022, the EA is inclined to grant the permit variation.
However, before making the final decision, the EA will hold another round of public consultation.
Councillor Barry Lewis, Chair of the Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee expressed disappointment with the decision, stating that the council has been firmly against the application for expanded waste treatment from the outset.
The Councillor said: “I will be writing to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs asking why the government has approved this unnecessary increase.
“We will be closely scrutinising the EA’s reasoning for progressing with the permit. As part of this, we will be reviewing whether the EA has addressed the concerns raised by us and our residents.
“We will also be demanding a meeting with the EA to understand why they are going ahead, despite the concerns raised by the council and our residents.”
An EA spokesperson told ELN: “An environmental permit sets out stringent conditions that all waste sites must adhere to. We will not issue an environmental permit for a site if we consider that activities taking place will cause significant pollution to the environment or harm to human health.
“Public consultation lets people and organisations take part in our decision-making. We welcome specifically, comments on environmental and health issues and where people have particular local knowledge. We take all relevant comments into account when making our decisions.
“When making permit decisions, we use information on the potential environmental and human health impacts of the activity.
“In deciding whether or not to issue the permit, the EA will take into account all relevant considerations and legal requirements.”
