Developer behind £100m energy plant to appeal council decision

The developers behind controversial plans for a £100m waste to energy plant in Perth are to appeal against the council's decision to turn it down.

Grundon Waste Management say the revised planning application rejected in February does address concerns about the size and operation of the plant proposed for the city's harbour area.

The company already has outline permission to build on the site.

Originally Grundon planned to build an incinerator at the site but now wants to develop a gasification plant to convert waste into a fuel gas.

The proposed development has caused uproar in the city, with campaigners claiming it will be a blight on the area, causing pollution, excessive noise and bringing traffic to a standstill as hundreds of lorries travel to dump waste at the site.

Grundon’s senior planner, Veronique Bensadou, believes the revised proposal, submitted by the company in May 2011, addresses the specific issues raised by Perth and Kinross Council.

She said: “The proposed change in technology to a gasification process would reduce the overall scale of the proposed development. This would significantly reduce the potential visual impact of the facility on the landscape and visual amenity of the area. The proposed buildings are now similar in height to other existing buildings on the Shore Road and in keeping with the industrial character of the area”.

“We do understand why the general public may be concerned about the proposals. We firmly believe, and have demonstrated, that our proposal would not result in any adverse effects on the local environmental quality or amenity of the surrounding area.

“Outline planning permission has already been granted for the facility so the principle of acceptability of the proposed development at this location has already been established and is not an issue. We trust that once the reporter has evaluated all the factual data provided by the company, he will recognise that our proposal to turn local waste into renewable power and heat, while meeting the needs of the community at the same time, is the best solution for the people of Perth”.

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