Have your say on the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility proposal
Sutton Council has received a planning application for an Energy Recovery Facility in Beddington. This page explains how you can find out about the application and comment, should you wish to. It also explains the role of the Council as planning authority and the role of the Environment Agency.
- Beddington ERF Proposed Site
The role of the planning authority
Sutton Council has an independent role as the planning authority for the borough in which we are legally required to decide whether planning applications should be granted, granted conditionally, or refused. In some cases our decision can be called-in by the Mayor of London or the Secretary of State. In this role, we have to approach each application by only taking into account the council’s agreed planning policy framework and other relevant planning considerations.
The role of the Environment Agency
The Environment Agency has a legal responsibility for considering whether to grant an Environment Permit to operate. The purpose of the permitting process is to assess whether the proposed facility can operate safely. This is entirely independent from the planning process and involves a separate consultation.
How to find out about the application
The easiest way is to visit http://213.122.180.105/FASTWEB/welcome.asp where you can view all of the application documents and drawings (when prompted for the application number simply type in 66220). You can also look at Viridor’s link here http://www.viridor.co.uk/sites-developments/beddington-erf/planning-updates/ If you would like to inspect paper copies, they are available at our Denmark Road office and a range of other local civic buildings. The Denmark Road offices are open between 9.00am and 5.00 pm on Mondays to Fridays.
One of the most important documents you may want to look at is the Environmental Statement. This sets out the applicant’s assessment of the likely environmental effects of the proposal. While this is a detailed document, it is accompanied by a non-technical summary, or ‘plain English guide’. Copies of the non-technical summary may be viewed online (see above) or, if you want your own copy, you can purchase one from the Council at a cost of £40.
How to comment
The easiest way is to email developmentcontrol@sutton.gov.uk but please remember to provide your full postal address and include the application number
D2012/66220/FUL. Written comments from anyone received within 6 weeks of 07/0812 will be taken into account. All emails and letters we receive will be available for public inspection in hard copy. We receive many thousands of letters in connection with planning applications and we regret that we are unable to enter into correspondence about the case or the matters raised by you.
What happens after the notification process?
Over the next few months Sutton Council will scrutinise the contents of the planning application, seeking expert technical advice where necessary, to ensure there is a robust basis on which to make a planning decision. We will also review all the comments made by members of the public. When this process has been completed, a report will go to the Council’s Development Control Committee, who will decide whether permission should be granted, granted conditionally, or refused. This report will be displayed on our website (under Democratic Services) in advance of the committee date. There are arrangements at our committee meeting for public speaking.
Thank you for your interest in this application, we hope this posting goes some way to explaining the process in a way that is easy to understand.