Environment
Agency announced its decision to issue a
permit to Viridor
The Environment Agency has today announced
its decision to issue a Pollution Prevention
& Control (PPC) Permit to Viridor Waste
Management for its proposed incinerator
at Marsh Barton Exeter in Devon.
The incinerator, also
referred to as an energy recovery facility,
will use modern technology to burn waste
under tightly controlled conditions. Heat
energy in the form of steam will be collected
and used to generate electricity. The new
permit will set strict conditions governing
the operation of the incinerator, ensuring
that public health and the environment are
properly protected.
Having considered the
application and all other relevant information
and responses, the Environment Agency consulted
the public in October 2009 , allowing people
to give their views on the draft permit
and explanatory decision document
Spence Seaman, for the
Environment Agency, said: 'We have considered
this application very carefully, and we
are satisfied that the incinerator will
not cause any significant pollution providing
it is operated in accordance with our permit.
'We have done everything
we can to ensure that everyone has had an
opportunity to comment on this application.
Over the various consultation stages we
have received written responses from members
of the public, and we have considered these
along side comments from professional bodies
such as the Health Protection Agency.'
'The issue of a permit
is only the first stage in our regulation
of the incinerator. When the facility is
up and running, we will monitor its environmental
performance including emissions to air to
ensure that the permit conditions are not
breached. We will continue to involve the
community where we can and will make sure
that the monitoring data is readily available
to the public.'
Copies of the decision
document and documentation associated with
the application will be available to view
at the public registers held at the Environment
Agency office at Exminster House or Exeter
City Council offices and on the Environment
Agency website at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/.
The main consultation
on the application for a permit was held
in 2007 and the site received planning approval
from Devon County Council in 2008.
