'It’s the wrong choice and the wrong decision' - Staffordshire residents protest against clinical waste incinerator plans for site near school
Hundreds of villagers defied downpours to protest against plans for a clinical waste incinerator just metres from a primary school.
Hixon residents fear the industrial development, proposed by In Waste Ltd, could have health implications and say the incineration process is untried and untested.
The application, earmarked for Hixon Industrial Estate, was submitted to Staffordshire County Council in summer 2024. A decision has yet to be made by the county authority.
On Sunday (September 7), Hixon residents of all ages turned out in force for a community protest walk to raise awareness of the plans.
Many carried banners as they walked through the village and they were joined by councillors and MP Sir Gavin Williamson.
In February Sir Gavin submitted a petition backed by more than 200 residents opposing the clinical waste treatment facility and urged Staffordshire County Council to “act in the best interests of the community”. On Sunday he said: “The turnout of so many people today is amazing.
“There is so much uncertainty and so many unanswered questions about health implications. Is it right to put a medical incinerator next to a primary school?
“It’s the wrong choice and the wrong decision. I hope the county council is going to have the common sense to reject this.”
Hixon resident Amelia Garner said: “Hixon is already home to an aluminium refinery, which is already permitted to emit certain pollutants. The cumulative impact of two industrial sites of this nature operating side-by-side in a small village, near homes, nurseries, and schools, could significantly increase local pollution levels.
“These concerns are based on data published in the applicant’s Environmental Statement and publicly available air quality assessments. We urge local authorities and decision-makers to ensure full, independent scrutiny before allowing this proposal to proceed.”
Fellow Hixon resident Karen Sharp said: “Medical research does not support the building of incinerators near to schools where children are more likely to suffer the greatest adverse health effects including exacerbation of asthma. This development would be 80m from the school playing fields.
“Whilst the risk of an incident is low, in the event of occurrence the effects could be catastrophic and for that reason its planned location is not suitable. I strongly object to an untried and untested facility being so near to a primary school due to the significant risk to the health of unborn children, children and the elderly.”
Borough and parish councillor Brendan McKeown said: “It beggars belief that an application to build such a facility so close to a primary school, domestic properties and industrial premises should have got this far. The dangers to health are obvious and the lack of experience of the would-be operators is clear for all to see.
“If it does go to a Staffordshire County Council planning committee meeting it should be refused. Ideally, though, the application should be withdrawn and thrown in the bin.”
The next county council planning committee meeting is due to take place on October 2. But it will not be known if this application will be considered on that date until a meeting agenda is published later this month.
A planning statement submitted as part of the application said there was an identified regional need for additional clinical and medical waste treatment capacity. It added: “When completed, the refinery is designed to process approximately 3,504 tonnes per annum of hazardous clinical and medical waste, so is by its nature small in scale.
“The proposed development is a specialist hazardous clinical and medical waste thermal treatment plant which will be used to provide heat and power directly to neighbouring industrial sites, namely the secondary aluminium ‘Hixon Refinery’ works operated by JBMI Ltd, C.A.T International and Selwood Pumps. The existing site and building are entirely ‘fit-for-purpose’ and will not require any demolition works, groundworks or excavation in order to develop this facility.
“The operation of the proposed incineration facility would be subject to the granting of an Environmental Permit by the Local Authority Pollution Control Team. The Environmental Permit would contain all necessary conditions required to regulate the facility and ensure that impacts of the development are managed to an acceptable standard.
“The environmental assessments carried out in support of this application assesses that no likely significant effect would arise from the proposed development. The proposed development would ensure acceptable, safe, and efficient dispersion of the emissions generated by the incineration process.”
The In Waste website described the proposal as “the UK’s most advanced clinical waste-to-energy plant”. It added: “The proposal seeks to construct a facility which will include an HTI process that will safely handle hazardous and clinical waste.
“The facility will use proven incineration technology based on a reciprocating grate system. Heat will be recovered from the process via a modern waste heat recovery boiler.”
