Construction date is set for controversial Horsham incinerator

Waste management firm Britaniacrest Recycling, announced ‘rapid progress’ on the Recycling, Recovery and Renewable Energy Facility (3Rs).

Following a public inquiry in February this year, which granted planning permission after the company demonstrated that its proposal would not severely impact the rural landscape, the 3Rs facility will move into construction in summer 2021, a spokesman said.

The incinerator will be built on land off the former Wealden Brickworks off Langhurstwood Road - despite strong opposition from local residents.

He added: “This will unlock significant levels of investment and bring the urgently needed recycling and energy from waste facility forward on the existing Wealden Works industrial site on the outskirts of Horsham.

“The 3Rs facility will not only increase recycling rates, it will divert West Sussex’s residual waste (waste which cannot be recycled, composted or re-used) away from landfill and reduce the high level of dependency the county now has on Europe.”

At the public inquiry, Britaniacrest said it showed how the Wealden Works development matches the capacity for energy from waste facilities required in the county and will meet its needs until at least 2031.

Director of Britaniacrest Recycling, Chris Foss, added: “Britaniacrest established itself in West Sussex nearly three decades ago. We’re proud to be investing in a new, state-of-the art waste recycling and treatment technology which will enable us to continue treating the county’s residual waste, but without adding more HGVs to local roads, nor impacting its local surroundings.

“We know that county councillors and the public recognise that West Sussex needs to stop landfilling and exporting waste to Europe; instead, starting to treat non-recyclable waste as a valuable resource. But this shouldn’t be at the expense of spoiling protected landscapes or increasing traffic. We set out in public the need for this plant and the fact that it would address the need in the county for the duration of the Waste Local Plan. We are now pleased to say that it’s on its way.”

Since February this year, Britaniacrest said it has successfully satisfied a number of the conditions imposed by the inspector, enabling the new 3Rs facility to move efficiently forward into construction in 2021. It has also applied to the Environment Agency to amend its current environmental permit, which will allow the 3Rs facility to operate at the highest environmental, safety and operating standards once the new facility opens.

Construction of the 3Rs facility will commence in summer 2021 and will create more than 300 construction jobs and around 40 new, highly skilled operational roles.

Once operations begin at the 3Rs facility, it will process 230,000 tonnes of West Sussex’s residual waste every year, by firstly extracting more recycled materials and then generating low carbon electricity from the waste that remains.

A spokeswoman for campaign group No Incinerator 4 Horsham Community Group (Ni4H) said: “We were alerted on Monday to this news on the West Sussex County Times website, this is the first Ni4H have heard of it and we are seeking professional advice from our Planning, Technical and Legal Team.”