Terence O’Rourke Ltd was the planning and lead environmental consultant for SITA’s proposed energy from waste (EfW) plant at Rostowrack Farm near St Dennis, in Cornwall’s clay country. We prepared the planning application and environmental impact assessment for the plant and secured an officer’s recommendation for approval. Following the refusal of the planning application by planning committee, we assisted SITA’s legal team in the preparation of an appeal, and provided expert witnesses for planning, landscape and visual assessment, ecology (including Appropriate Assessment issues) and cultural heritage. The appeal was granted by the Secretary of State and legal challenges ensued. Terence O’Rourke Ltd assisted the legal team in dealing with these - specifically regarding the Habitats Directive. A Court of Appeal ruling cleared the way for the implementation of the project, which is now built and operating successfully.
The plant treats residual waste, diverting it away from landfill. Energy recovered from the waste is used to generate electricity with enough energy to power the equivalent of 21,000 homes and provide heat to the adjacent china clay dryers. Metals are recycled from the plant’s bottom ash, which are cured on site before being taken away for use as a secondary aggregate.
Original Photograph by Roger D Smith ABIPP, Gosport
