Plans have been submitted for a new, £200m waste treatment facility in Cambridgeshire.
Amey is proposing the new facility at its existing Waterbeach Waste Management Park and has now submitted a planning application for the development.
If approved, the new facility would be used to generate energy from household and commercial waste – either in the form of electricity, heat or a mix of both – and would create more than 300 jobs during construction and into operations.
Amey’s Environmental Services Managing Director, Rob Edmondson, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to create a sustainable waste management park in Cambridgeshire and the facility will complement a range of existing technologies and processes already in place at Waterbeach.
“It signifies continuing investment in our waste treatment capability in Cambridgeshire, allowing us reduce the volume of waste being landfilled, as well as create enough electricity to power the equivalent of 63,000 homes.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to create a sustainable waste management park in Cambridgeshire and the facility will complement a range of existing technologies and processes already in place at Waterbeach”
“It will also add to Amey’s growing capabilities in the waste treatment sector, with new facilities in Milton Keynes and North Yorkshire currently in commissioning and a further facility on the Isle of Wight in construction.”
The planning application has been submitted to Cambridgeshire County Council’s Planning Authority following a community consultation, which included events and meetings for local residents. The next steps will involve the authority validating the application, before the documents are made public and the authority’s own consultation is held with residents.
Rob Edmondson added: “The views of the local community are very important and, as a result of feedback, we’ve been able to make some changes to the design of the building, including giving it a curved roof and a colour scheme which better fits the local surroundings.
“We’re also proposing landscape improvements around the facility, which would create a Fen-like environment and increase biodiversity.”
It is expected the planning application will be fully reviewed and a decision made during 2018.
The proposed facility would have a maximum capacity of 250,000 tonnes pa. The buildings would range in height from 12 to 42 metres, with a stack of 80 metres.
The 400 acre Waterbeach Waste Management Park already houses a range of waste processes and technologies, including recycling, composting, landfill and mechanical biological treatment. The site of the proposed new facility is already allocated as a suitable location for energy from waste development in Cambridgeshire County Council’s adopted Minerals and Waste Plan.