Rushden plastic recycling plant backed despite objections

The plant would be built on the site of an existing industrial estate off Upper Higham Lane, near Rushden

Planning permission has been granted for a plastics recycling plant despite objections from residents, parish and town councils and the local MP.

The £60m plant, at Rushden in Northamptonshire, still needs a permit from the Environment Agency which has raised no objections about its safety.

Members of the county council's development control committee were heckled after the decision was made.

The plant will convert waste plastic into diesel, petrol and liquid gas.

Wellingborough and Rushden's Conservative MP Peter Bone said: "I was astonished that there was no mention of the 900,000 litres of fuel that could potentially be stored at the site, especially when there's no fire service in the area."

He also raised concerns about air pollution.

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"I went to Downing Street this week with a letter of my concerns, to ensure that we are not guinea pigs here," he added.

Peter Bone, the Tory MP for Wellingborough, delivered a petition against the plant to Downing Street

"This proposal is unacceptable for me and for my constituents."

Objectors said harmful dioxins coming from the 130ft-high (35m) flue would pollute the air.

However, Public Health England had "no significant concerns regarding the risk to the health of the local population from the installation".

Campaigners argued there was insufficient evidence on which to base that claim, as the proposed plant would be the first of its kind in Europe.

The facility, based on a small industrial estate on Upper Higham Lane, could convert up to 75,000 tonnes of waste into fossil fuels a year.