Plans for an £80 million waste plant came under close scrutiny as neighbours of the new development quizzed those behind the plans.

Proposals were revealed last week for an energy-from-waste centre at Kingmoor Park, on the northern edge of Carlisle.

Representatives of the firm behind the plans met residents for the first time yesterday.

The issues raised at yesterday’s meeting concerned the noise, smell and emissions generated by the facility, its visual impact, safety and proximity to houses.

Dozens of local residents went along to the meeting at Kingmoor Community and Business Centre in Liddle Close, Lowry Hill, where they could get answers to their many questions. They crowded round information boards and provided feedback to the planning consultants, Stephenson Halliday.

Bob Richardson, 69, of Hether Drive, Lowry Hill, came and left the meeting with an open mind.

Asked what his concerns were, Mr Richardson said: “Noise and the problems that arise from storage of waste with seagulls, vermin and the like. The fact that an industrial proposal was being considered so close to residents’ properties.”

Carlisle City Councillor Gareth Ellis, who represents the area and was at the meeting, said: “If we’re going to do it, we have to be absolutely sure that it’s safe. Residents are concerned about noise and safety.”


Donald Wilkins Donald Wilkins, planning consultant at Stephenson Halliday, said the plant – officially called an energy recovery facility – was designed to minimise noise, smell and emissions.

Around six HGVs per hour are expected to drive to the site but once there, all the operations take part in the building.

The main noise comes from the boiler though some of this will be mitigated by in-built acoustic cladding and doors will automatically close and open at the site.

The Environment Agency is currently doing a noise assessment and monitoring the existing background noise levels. A simulation will then estimate the projected noise levels in the area the facility will produce.

The companies behind the proposal UK-based Verus Energy and the Finnish utility company Fortum, which specialises in clean-energy projects, say the facility will be subject to stringent UK and European Commission pollution controls.

Mr Wilkins said: “We’re still designing it. We’re still finalising plans so this is a work in progress.”

The plant is being designed to take all the waste produced in Cumbria. Recyclables would be separated while the rest of the waste would be used to produce electricity – 200 million kWh per year, enough to supply more than 50,000 homes.

While some electricity will feed into the National Grid, some will be held back for businesses at Kingmoor Park.

Mary Campbell, of Stephenson Halliday, said: “It will encourage new business into the area because they will get subsidised electricity.”

The power plant would also create approximately 40 new permanent jobs and more than 100 jobs during construction which could start next year with the plant operational by 2019.

Fortum, Verus and Kingmoor Park Properties Ltd are preparing to submit the planning application to Cumbria County Council in the summer, possibly in June.