Developers submit revised plans for massive Ford incinerator
The initial proposal was opposed by Arun councillors last year
Last updated 16th Apr 2021
Plans to build a massive waste incinerator and energy recovery facility in Ford could be back on the table.
Arun district councillors voted to oppose the initial proposals for the site at the Ford Circular Technology Park in September last year, citing concerns about noise, light and air pollution.
Now developers Grundon Waste Management and Viridor have submitted a revised planning application to West Sussex County Council to try and address those concerns.
They've claimed that, if approved, the facilities would be able to prevent up to 295,000 tonnes of waste from going to landfill each year.
The site is looking to generate 28MW of energy which will be exported to the National Grid, which would be enough to power 68,000 homes - the equivalent of a town the size of Bognor and Littlehampton combined.
Among the changes that have been made is a significant reduction in the proposed height of the main Energy Recovery Facility building by 12.7 metres (lowering it from 51.7 metres to 38.5 metres).
The facility has also undergone a major architectural redesign which has enabled improvements to the site layout and created space for a considerable amount of new green areas and landscaping, which will help screen the facilities.
The waste sorting and transfer facility has also been reduced in size, with bosses saying this would not decrease its waste management capacity.
Ford Energy from Waste Director Philip Atkinson said:
âIâd like to thank everybody who took the time to respond to the consultations on our proposals last year.
"As a responsible developer, we have taken the time to review and consider all of that feedback to ensure we have put forward the best application.
"Weâve made several significant changes to our plans but, critically, these changes have been made without compromising the waste management capacity or the energy generation output of the facilities.
"These were both important considerations, given the significant waste management capacity gap in West Sussex.â
West Sussex County Council planning officers will now review the application, before holding a further consultation on the proposals.
The full planning application is available to view on West Sussex County Councilâs website and also on the project website.