Aycliffe incinerator council motion

Campaigners have urged councillors to back calls to prevent an incinerator from opening, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar. 

An appeal has been tabled for Durham County Council to join residents in opposing an environmental permit application for the proposed facility in Newton Aycliffe.

Developer Fornax has built the incinerator in Merchant Way and is set to open the site pending final approval.

The plant, which the developer says will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 700 homes, is due to begin operating in the first quarter of 2026 and would be the first of its kind in the North East.

But locals fear their lives and health will be impacted by the constant burning of hazardous waste. Around 10,500 tonnes of waste would be incinerated per year at the site in Aycliffe Business Park.

The Environment Agency will consider the permit application in due course. 

Liberal Democrat councillor Michael Stead, of Aycliffe North and Middridge ward, tabled the motion ahead of next week’s full council meeting, requesting the council write a letter to the Government and urge them to reject a permit for the facility.  

The plea reads: “This council notes the serious public and cross-party political concern surrounding the Environment Agency’s permit application for a hazardous waste incinerator and waste transfer stations at Heighington Lane in Aycliffe Business Park, due to the site’s proximity to homes, schools, parks, and care facilities in Newton Aycliffe and surrounding villages.

Council resolves to: 

• Agree that an incinerator, at this location, is completely inappropriate and would cause significant harm to the surrounding community. 
• Write a letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs setting out our objections, calling for them to use what powers they have to reject this incinerator.”

Cllr Stead’s plea to the council comes amid growing opposition from the “STOP Heighington Lane Incinerator” campaign group. 

The facility is located just a short distance from schools, care homes, and playgrounds, with campaigners warning: “If this goes ahead, a 12-mile radius could be facing decades of exposure to harmful pollutants, many invisible and long-lasting.”

Yet, Fornax said the plant will be strictly controlled and regulated, and has now provided an insight into how the £40 million facility will operate and what will be burned. 

Ian Jones, CEO of Fornax Environmental Services, said: “I can assure the people of Newton Aycliffe and elected members that the Fornax facility will be safe and efficient. We welcome Cllr Stead to site so we can show him the major investment that has been made to develop a much greener, cleaner and environmentally friendly way of dealing with this waste.

“It’s important he has a full understanding of the technology and abatement systems we will be using, and a chance to ask questions.”

Around 70 per cent of the waste treated in the plant will be clinical waste from hospitals, labs, and care homes from across the North East. The remaining 30 per cent will be classed as hazardous waste.

All hazardous waste brought to the site will be contained within sealed airtight containers, carried by specialist licensed waste vehicles. Waste will only be stored within the confines of the treatment building.

Mr Jones added: “We are awaiting the outcome of our application to the Environment Agency for a permit to operate. It’s carrying out a rigorous assessment of our application, and we believe we should just allow that process to take its course.”