Gas plant firm to appeal against council refusal
BBCA company which saw its plans to build a gasification plant refused by a council is to appeal the decision.
North-west Regeneration had wanted to build the energy from waste plant in Rockcliffe, Cumbria, but its plans were denied by Cumberland Council despite being recommended for approval.
The Labour-led council rejected the proposals on Friday on the grounds that the impact on human health was unclear.
North-west Regeneration said studies it had commissioned by independent experts had concluded there was "no detrimental impact on human health or the environment".
A spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the reports had been reviewed by a number of bodies, including the council's environmental health team, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the UK Health Security Agency.
"This decision was made despite the planning officer's recommendation to approve the application, a 250-page report, 18 months of due diligence, and the appointment of an independent consultant to review all the documents," they said.
"The company is awaiting the planning decision notice in full and will then lodge an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate."
More than 1,200 people had objected to the plant's development, which would have been used to make gas from rubbish.
If approved, the plant would have been built on the former Kingmoor Park Rockcliffe Estate and would have contained a 23m (75ft) flue stack.