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Council to decide on cement works’ SRF facility

Padeswood Cement Works. Source - Google Street View.

THE BUILDING of a new solid fuel recovery facility at a cement works will safeguard 177 jobs and represent a £4m investment.

Flintshire Council’s planning committee will make a decision on an application for the development submitted by Hanson UK’s Padeswood Cement Works.

According to reports to be read by members, the proposed development would be within the existing cement works, in an area currently used to park trailers with an internal access road, and an electricity substation.

The application seeks to use Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) as an alternative fuel source.

SRF is a type of fuel produced from the mechanical and biological treatment of waste materials. It is a saleable product that can be purchased on the market and used as a fuel source.

The proposed development aims to refine SRF to make it suitable for use in the main burner, with smaller particulate being used in the main burner and larger particulate either used in the existing SRF burner or sold back to the market.

Waste materials used to produce SRF can include non-recyclable plastics, paper, wood, and other materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated.

The new buildings have been designed to blend in with the existing structures at the cement works as they will be constructed using steel frames and clad in plastisol-coated steel sheeting painted to match surrounding buildings.

The application has been recommended for approval. It is considered that the proposed development will not have a significant negative effect on designated local sites or protected species,

A report to be considered by councillors, written by the authority’s chief planning officer Andrew Farrow states: “Although the development would not create new jobs, the development represents a £4 million investments in the cement work.

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“This would both reduce the production of carbon dioxide (CO2), and enhance the cement works’ commercial competitiveness, thereby ensuring the job security of the existing 177 employees.

“The development would also indirectly support local businesses and contractors, including those involved in plant and machinery repair, maintenance, and hire, as well as those involved in general work.”

Concerns about dust and noise levels have also been addressed in the report which states: “A number of comments and queries have been made regarding the on-site and off-site monitoring of noise and in particular, dust and other emissions from the works.

“The new development will require a variation of the Environmental Permit for the site, as well as a planning permission, and the permitting regime is a separate regulatory regime under the jurisdiction of Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

“The permit requires continuous improvement, and it is noted that there has been a reduction in both noise levels from the site and the intensity of dust releases, particularly in the past few years, leading to a reduction in complaints made to NRW and the cement works.

“There have been episodes of breakdowns, maintenance failures, human error, which lead to localised nuisance dust, but this is reducing and the works are generally well managed.”

The planning committee will make a decision on the application when it meets on Wednesday (March 29).

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