A NEW energy recovery facility can be completed near the M5 following a decision by Somerset councillors.

Martin Arkins of Bridgwater Resource Recovery Ltd. was granted planning permission in April 2015 to construct the facility on Showground Road in Bridgwater, not far from the Hopkins concrete plant.

Construction on the site is progressing well, with the new facility expecting to start generating energy from burning refuse by the end of the year.

Somerset County Council has now signed off on the final planning permission for the site, formalising how much material it will handle a year and how many extra vehicle movements will be permitted.

The site lies to the south of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, a short distance from the soon-to-close Argos distribution centre and the Canalside conference centre.

The facility will handled up to 130,000 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) each year, which will be burned to supply up to 7.75MW to the National Grid via a new substation.

This fuel will be sourced from processed commercial and industrial waste from existing waste transfer stations along the M5 corridor, with no recyclable materials being included.

While the facility will operate 24 hours a day, vehicle movements will be restricted from 7am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday, with no movements permitted on Sundays.

Councillor Julian Taylor, who sits on North Petherton Town Council, warned that fumes from the site could result in a rise in cancer cases further afield.

He said: “Mistakes have been made in the past, and we wouldn’t want them to happen again.

“Bridgwater and the new estates of Willstock and Stockmoor are well within the range of the smoke generated by this facility.

“The canal is used regularly as a green lung for people – I see people walking and cycling down there all the time.”

Bridgwater Mercury: The Energy Recovery Facility On Showground Road In Bridgwater. CREDIT: Somerset County Council. Free to use for all BBC wire partners.

Councillor Linda Hyde added: “Climate change experts consider that burning waste as a form of fuel to produce power is now archaic, and cannot be considered a green source of energy.

“North Petherton residents already complain about vibrating, booming noises coming from industrial sites across the low-lying areas of the parish. The likely additional noise from this site needs to be fully assessed.”

Councillor Bill Revans, who represents the North Petherton division on the county council, said he was concerned about the additional traffic that this and other developments would bring to the communities around Junction 24.

He said: “There has been a massive amount of development in the last 15 years in this area, with over 2,000 houses, a new rural business centre, the Bridgwater Gateway centre, the new Huntworth proposed development and a site adjacent to this site at Somerset Bridge which is being opened up for development.

“Each one of these individually may not have a substantial impact on the roads in this area – but collectively, they do.”

Despite these concerns, committee members spoke very positively about the plans, welcoming the investment in the local area.

Councillor Dean Ruddle said: “I think this is a win-win. I’m confident that the Environment Agency will police would comes out of the chimney, and they will have scrubbers in there as well.”

Councillor Mike Caswell added: “The waste will not be going to landfill, and the recyclable stuff will be recycled. This is a really good situation.”

The committee voted unanimously to approve the plans after less than 45 minutes’ debate.