Plans for Kilmarnock medical waste incinerator scrapped
Plans developed by a consulting firm to install a new medical waste incinerator near a housing estate in Scotland have been jettisoned, following a public outcry. Castellum Consulting maintains that the proposals were dropped by Waste Energy Partners for “commercial reasons”, despite the prior intervention of a local MP on the matter.
Controversial plans to build an incineration plant for medical waste have been scrapped by its developers. The proposed plant would have operated for as many as 24 hours a day, and was anticipated to handle up to two tonnes of clinical waste every hour, generating electricity in the process.
The initial plans were drawn up by Castellum Consulting on behalf of Waste Energy Partners, before the development firm submitted a report to the council, asking for advice on the environmental assessment that must be carried out to support a planning application. The council requested further information on the project, as it was keen not to impact nearby Braehead Foods. The national wholesaler supplies a wide range of food, and is based near the Moorfield Industrial Park, where the incinerator would have been based.
Waste Energy Partners’ plant would also have burned hazardous waste, and along with concerns from the council it could cause a bad smell in the area, local residents were resistant to the plans. A number of people were unhappy at the plant potentially being built near to the Moorfield housing estate. According to local Kilmarnock and Loudon MP Alan Brown, a number of his constituents speaking about their worries with the proposals.
Speaking to Scottish paper the Daily Record, Brown said, “A number of constituents got in touch with me raising their concerns of the site and the effect it could have on the area. I fully understand and agree with the valid concerns raised. Given the close proximity of housing and the Braehead Foods facility, I didn’t think this was a suitable location for a waste energy plant. Of course, I understand the need for careful and appropriate disposal of medical waste, however, that doesn’t mean building more incinerators.”
Amid the growing public discontent on the subject, it has now emerged that Waste Energy Partners has dropped the proposals. While the developer has not issued a statement to the press on the matter, the Daily Record has reported on the local residents association receiving word from the consulting firm Waste Energy Partners engaged. An email sent to Moorfield Residents Association by Castellum Consulting said that “for commercial reasons [the client is] no longer considering the site at Moorfield for this development.”
