Council dispute over waste treatment plant resolved

The waste treatment plant was completed in 2017 but has never been fully operational

Two councils which agreed to build a controversial waste treatment plant that has never been used say they have reached an agreement over its future.

Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council agreed in February 2023 to fix and operate the planned Sinfin Lane site but had been in dispute over the multi-million pound costs involved.

The authorities say they will now push ahead with plans to get the facility up and running.

Residents and environmentalists had also fought a long-running campaign against it and say this is the "latest twist to this sorry saga".

Plans for the site were first approved in 2012

The waste plant was intended to divert 190,000 tonnes of rubbish per year away from landfill by heat-treating it to produce gas, which it would then burn to create enough electricity to power 14,000 homes.

The site was approved in 2012 and was expected to open in 2017 but failed to pass initial testing.

It was eventually mothballed in 2019.

Both councils voted to fix and operate the plant in February 2023.

Months later, the authorities agreed to pay out £93.5m to the company that designed and built the site - £36.57m from the city council and £56.93m from the county council.

Then earlier this year the county council issued an invoice to the city council for £93.9m plus VAT to recover its share of the costs for the project, sparking the dispute.

'Look forward with confidence'

The authorities announced on Wednesday that a resolution had been found "following a period of constructive dialogue".

A joint statement said they had "successfully addressed" the key issues that led to the dispute, including the terms of a new agreement on how to run the site.

"The councils will now move forward with the procurement exercise to rectify defects at the facility and bring it into use," the statement added.

A spokesperson for both authorities said: "We're pleased to confirm the dispute has been fully resolved and both councils have reaffirmed their commitment to working in partnership to get the waste treatment centre at Sinfin operational.

"We look forward with confidence to moving the project forward to provide both councils with the most viable and cost-effective, long-term solution for the management of household waste, to benefit residents in both the city and county."

Simon Bacon, Sinfin resident and long-time opponent of the plant, said: "The residents of Derby - and especially those around the Sinfin Lane site - will be shocked to hear of this latest twist to this sorry saga."

A spokeswoman for the city council said: "We're happy with the outcome and fully committed to ensuring best value for money for the council, taxpayers and to doing the best thing for the residents of Sinfin and Derby."

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