Portland Waste Incinerator and response to Environment Agency consultation on permit

16th December 2024 update: The High Court review has been given the go ahead. Debbie from SPWI wrote “I have heard from our lawyers that the Judge has granted permission for us to have our Statutory Review in the High Court, but only for one of the three grounds we cited, Ground 1, which is basically that the Government’s decision to grant planning permission does not satisfy Dorset Council’s spatial strategy and the ‘proximity principle’ from its Waste Plan, which designates specific sites for waste disposal nearer to major waste generating settlements in Dorset.”

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On 16th September 2024, the government approved the Portland Waste Incinerator. Dorset Council had refused the plan in March 2023, voicing concerns over its visual impact, pollution and lorries. Developers Powerfuel Portland appealed the council’s decision. As we have mentioned in previous articles, Guy Dickinson, Chair of West Dorset CPRE, spoke against the application at the appeal. The local action group, Stop Portland Waste Incinerator (SPWI), have spoken with their legal team and decided there are enough grounds to challenge this decision and present a strong case in the High Court at a Statutory Review. SPWI have reopened their Just Giving page to raise the funds needed to present the case in the High Court.

Dorset Council has decided not to challenge the decision, however, the council remains opposed to the Portland Waste Incinerator. Following the government’s decision to overturn Dorset Council’s refusal of the Portland Incinerator, Dorset Council Leader Cllr Nick Ireland wrote to the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Response to Portland Incinerator application (Environment Agency)
Environmental permits are required for new waste incineration facilities. On 19th September, the Environment Agency reopened their consultation for the Operating Permit due to an administrative error during the summer consultation. On 20th October, Guy Dickinson, West Dorset Group Chair, made the following points in response to the Environment Agency’s ‘Powerfuel Portland Limited, EPR/AP3304SZ/A001’ final consultation into an application for a permit to operate a new waste incinerator in Portland:

1. This proposed incinerator is proposed to be in the setting of the World Heritage Jurassic Coastline. There is a Jurassic Coast partnership Plan 2020-2025 written by the Jurassic Coast Trust. It was published to ensure that this coastline is protected from developments just like this one. The Jurassic Coast stretches for 95 miles and covers Dorset and East Devon and it became a World Heritage Site in 2001. It is England’s only natural World Heritage Site and has been declared a coastline of Outstanding Universal Value(OUV). It serves great historic and scientific interest and is particularly beautiful. This incinerator is large, ugly and would be very obvious with its tall 87 metre chimney stack.
2. The incinerator is also right on the edge of an SSSI (a Site of Special Scientific Interest – a protected area designated by Natural England) and an SAC (Special Area of Conservation) – designated by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
3. The incinerator would be close to the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now known as the Dorset National Landscape), from which it would easily be seen.
4. Portland Harbour is a world famous sailing and sail training area – especially after the 2012 Olympics. The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is very close to this site. People from all over the world attend including many young people. It seems inconceivable to put a large ugly smoking incinerator next to all this activity – with fumes that may be dispersed to any part – even Weymouth Bay – and indeed anywhere, depending on the wind.
5. The ugliness of this incinerator is indisputable – especially in this position. The Dorset Waste Plan specifically states its opinion on the position of such incinerators and says “Suitable locations would be near to the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) production facility with good transport links”. This is clearly not the case here with a projected 40 large truck journeys daily both ways through Weymouth, Wyke and Castletown. The roads are small with several schools on the route and this gives rise to great concern about pollution as well as danger to children and pedestrians. Ships may bring some RDF from further afield but, again, although preferable to trucks, they would further pollute the atmosphere. It appears a large amount of the RDF would actually come from outside Dorset and even from outside the UK altogether.
6. There are harmful effects of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides on climate change to consider and of nitrogen and ammonia deposition on internationally protected sites of ecological importance. However, there are also serious concerns on the areas downwind of the incinerator – Weymouth, Overcombe and Ringstead Beaches which risk receiving clouds of resulting effluvium – and of course Portland itself in a northerly or easterly wind. The vital tourist industry in the area will be in jeopardy as word gets round.
7. Finally, we suggest that EA take into consideration a) the Supreme Court decision that the lifetime carbon emissions and full climate impact of a proposal must be taken into account in considering a proposed project, and b) the subsequent High Court ruling on the proposed Cumbrian coal mine. These decisions have redefined the basis on which major energy-related developments, such as the proposed Portland incinerator, should be assessed and evaluated.

Gerald Rigler also sent in a response on behalf of the Purbeck and Poole CPRE Group, and by the 20th October deadline.