Old Kent Road, from Monopoly to Waste (WP)

RPS’ Waste Planning team at Chepstow has provided ongoing planning support to Veolia, UK’s waste management market leader, since July 2006 as part of their bid to secure the long-term Integrated Waste Management Contract in Southwark, London.   Veolia was eventually awarded preferred bidder status by Southwark Council in March 2007 and the contract for the 25 year PFI scheme was signed earlier this year.   The Southwark PFI contract, worth £665 million over 25 years, is said to be one of the most ambitious local authority waste schemes in the UK, with its target to achieve a 50% recycling rate by 2021.   In addition to the collection of municipal solid waste, Veolia’s proposals include the construction of a new state-of-the-art waste and recycling facility on the former gasworks site on Old Kent Road, Bermondsey. This facility will handle 200,000 tonnes of household and municipal waste per year and will incorporate a municipal depot, a Mechanical and Biological Treatment plant (MBT), a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), a Waste Transfer Station (WTS) and a Household Waste Recycling and Recovery Centre (HWRRC).  The site will also include an education centre as part of an innovative partnership with London Remade that emphasises working closely with residents and schools to promote the reduction, re-use, recycling and recovery of materials.   Veolia commissioned RPS to prepare the planning application and associated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the new facility.  The project was lead by RPS’ Chepstow based specialist waste planning team who prepared the planning application and managed and co-ordinated the preparation of the associated Environmental Impact Assessment, drawing on RPS’s extensive team of in-house specialist consultants to undertake the required technical assessments including the air quality, hydrogeology and hydrology teams within the Bristol (Severn House) and Chepstow offices, as well as other specialities within the London, Brighton, Leeds, Manchester, Newbury and Swindon offices.   The planning application and associated EIA were formally submitted in August 2008 and RPS are currently providing post submission advise.   The Southwark IWMF is one of a number of strategic waste management facilities for which RPS have provided planning and EIA support over recent years including: the 180,000 tpa Rufford Energy Recovery Facility in Nottingham for Veolia, the Exeter EFW for Viridor/Devon County Council, the Newhurst Integrated Waste Management Facility (incorporating a 6 million m3 landfill) for Biffa, the Sutton Courtney EfW facility and a 250,000 tpa EfW facility at Saltend on behalf of WRG, the 275,000 tpa Thornton Waste Technology Park for Lancashire County Council/GRL, a 90,000 tpa Novera Sustainable Energy Facility at Dagenham Energy utilising a gasification technology, the 48,000 tpa WP2 pyrolosis thermal plant at Wookey Hole Somerset and the Seamer Carr pyrolosis plant for circa 50,000 tpa for Yorwaste.

 
Contact RPS Minerals and Waste Planning Team: Jenka Kaslik

Telephone 0044 1291 621821

or Email Jenka at
kaslikj@rpsgroup.com