Sinfin waste plant: Councillors vote to open controversial centre

Councillors have approved plans to repair and open a controversial waste centre in Derby.

Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council's cabinet members discussed whether to close or open the plant at respective meetings.

They voted for the Sinfin Lane site to be repaired and used to treat non-recyclable waste.

The centre, which has never been in use, has already cost taxpayers £34.5m to maintain.

The project was mothballed in 2019 after a waste management contract between the authorities and Resource Recovery Solutions (RRS) - which had been commissioned to design, build and operate the facility - came to an end.

The decision on Thursday comes despite fierce opposition from protesters outside Derby's Council House, where campaigners chanted "knock it down".

Journalists and the public were banned from attending the meetings to determine the project's future as it would harm the councils' "commercial interests", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Leader of the city council, Chris Poulter, said the decision to run the plant over the next two decades was considered more "cost effective" than closing the facility.

"It was vital that we took the time to thoroughly assess the options on the table so that we could make an informed decision on the facility's future," he said.

"The recommendation to rectify and use the facility offered the most viable, economic and cost-effective option and the best deal for council taxpayers in Derby and Derbyshire to provide a sustainable and long-term solution for dealing with household waste."

Campaigners have repeatedly raised concerns regarding air quality and said the plant would cause environmental issues.

Resident Trisha Harrison was among the protesters and told BBC Radio Derby: "Why [the plant] was built here I'll never know. It wouldn't have happened anywhere else, but because it's Sinfin they thought they'd get away with it.

"The fact they've spent £34.5m to try and deal with it shows you that there is a major problem within that plant. I think it's a major travesty and I'm disgusted - I have been for years."

Ward councillor and deputy leader of the Labour group on Derby City Council, Nadine Peatfield, added: "For every single resident who lives within spitting distance from it this is concerning news.

"We've already seen the physical impact it's had on them. If the wind is in the wrong direction, the impact is the smell and who wants to sit in their gardens and have the smell of garbage wafting around them."

First rejected by officials in 2009, the city and county councils went on to give the go-ahead for the project in 2012 and building work started later.

The centre was expected to open in 2017 but failed to pass initial testing.

The project was being developed by RRS - a joint venture of construction firm Interserve and waste management company Renewi - until August 2019.

Following the councils' announcement, deputy leader of Derbyshire County Council Simon Spencer added: "There will always be some waste that residents either cannot or choose not to recycle and the business case shows that the waste treatment centre is still the best long-term solution."

The councils will now look to appoint contractors to carry out the rectification work and operate the facility.

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