Updated Further Environmental Information (FEI) Submitted to Aid Fresh Planning Decision for £240m arc21 Public Infrastructure Investment
Indaver, the lead of the Becon consortium and European waste management specialists behind investment plans to deliver an integrated waste management solution to meet the needs of six Northern Ireland councils forming arc21 has welcomed the submission of a volume of Further Environmental Information (FEI) that updates the planning application for the important public infrastructure project.
The decision in 2022 to refuse planning permission for the project was quashed by the High Court following the Department for Infrastructure conceding that it was unlawfully made. The application is now back for re-consideration by the Department. Given the passage of time, updates to certain chapters of the environmental statement are needed to ensure a decision taken on the application is robust and based on proper information.
Speaking about the latest development Jackie Keaney, Commercial Director, Indaver said;
“The arc21 residual waste treatment project is designed to deliver a sustainable solution for the six councils’ black bin waste and will directly contribute to Northern Ireland’s ambitious recycling and landfill diversion targets while also recovering energy from our non-recyclable waste locally. This reduces the need to export our waste for others to extract its value while at the same time importing expensive fossil fuels to meet our local energy needs. The project also has the potential to make wider contributions towards climate change mitigation by providing district heating and production of sustainable e-fuels. We are exploring all options to ensure the proposed facilities help Northern Ireland meet its net-zero and circular economy targets. We now hope with the provision of this latest information we can finally achieve a robust and evidence-based planning decision to allow this critical public infrastructure to be delivered.”
This latest submission includes updated environmental information and addresses points of concern made by third parties in relation to the planning application. A copy of the new information is available in the downloads section of the becon website and through the NI planning portal.
ENDS