Proposed Clinical Waste Treatment Facility Church Lane, Hixon
Planning Application to Staffordshire County Council Reference No. SCC/24/0064/FULL-ES
Hixon Parish Council Planning Committee considered the above planning application at a meeting on Tuesday 27th August at Hixon Memorial Hall.
The Committee unanimously agreed to object to the proposal to create a Clinical Waste Treatment Facility within an existing industrial building off Church Lane. The application attracted a good deal of public attention and over forty local residents turned out to make their views known.
If approved, the proposed Clinical Waste Treatment facility would see 3,504 tonnes of hazardous waste being incinerated at high temperature. The residual gases would be discharged into the atmosphere via a 15.1m high ‘stack’ (flue) projecting 3m above the existing roof line.
Clinical waste is generated from health care premises such as hospitals, doctor’s surgeries and care homes. The waste can comprise, swabs, bandages, dressings. syringes, sharps etc and pose a serious risk of infection. It can also contain ‘anatomical’ waste.
Anatomical waste is biomedical waste that can include human or animal tissue, organs, blood and possibly other identifiable body parts. All the waste materials have to be collected, stored, transported and processed with great care to avoid risk of infection and the spread of infection.
The proposed Clinical Waste Treatment facility application site is 150 metres from St. Peter’s School in Church Lane. It is proposed to operate 24/7 (ie) 24 hours a day every day of the year.
The proposed incineration process at the site in Church Lane is classed as ‘Sui Generis’ a Latin term which means “of its own kind” or there’s nothing else like it.
The Hixon Parish Council Planning Committee listened to the concerns of local residents, who questioned the wisdom of placing a potentially hazardous process in the Hixon village envelope and so close to a primary school, residential properties and business premises. There were also questions about the apparently un-tested nature of the process and the doubtful credibility of the Company which has submitted the application and which has since being dissolved.
In consideration of the application, Hixon Parish Council Planning Committee resolved to object to the application and agreed to use any means to have the application withdrawn and/or to ensure it is discussed at a future meeting of Staffordshire County Council Waste Planning Committee with members of the public present and enabled to be represented.
Hixon Parish Council is producing a leaflet about the proposed Clinical Waste Treatment facility for door-to-door delivery and to raise public awareness. If you can help with delivery phone 07966 135536.
To view the Staffordshire County Council planning application documents click following link; https://planning.agileapplications.co.uk/staffordshire/application-details/28941
Keep visiting the Hixon Parish Council website over the next few days for further details on how to comment on the Clinical Waste Treatment planning application and other Parish Council news.