Residents fighting plans for a plastic recycling centre in Worksop to hold public consultation meeting

The move comes after plans for the Shireoaks Plastic Recycling Centre & Energy Recovery Facility were officially submitted to the local council last week.

The meeting will take place on June 3 at 7pm at Shireoaks Sports and Social Club.

Lesley Deamer a representative for Shireoaks and Rhodesia Against Plastic Pyrolysis (SRAPP) said: “We were understandably angry that the application for the pyrolysis site had been submitted, but we were also not surprised. The companies initially said that they would be submitting their plans in January 2024 and although we desperately hoped that they had changed their minds about progressing with their plans, given the exceptionally strong local opposition to it, we had been preparing for the worst-case scenario, that they would continue to go ahead with it regardless of our adamant objections.“Our campaign group have devoted an enormous amount of time and effort in planning to put up the fiercest of fights to stop this proposal and so when we were told that the application had been submitted, we just thought, that now, it’s time to put all of our efforts in to action and show them that this is definitely not going to be accepted within our community and that we will not stop until this application has been rejected by Nottinghamshire County Council.”

A number of residents in Shireoaks and Rhodesia are opposing the Shireoaks Plastic Recycling Centre & Energy Recovery Facility on land in Shireoaks Road.

Residents fear the facility could damage the environment, cause pollution and affect residents quality of life.

Residents are concerned about the danger involved in the process, lack of consultation and increased traffic around the site.

Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said: “I am in regular contact with local people who have raised a number of concerns over the proposals. Since the initial public meeting I have been working with the residents’ action group, speaking with the developers and consulting with local people over the plans. It is vital that the views and concerns of local people are addressed when the application is submitted and subsequently considered by the Council.”

A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesperson said: “Nottinghamshire County Council, as the Waste Planning Authority for the county, is now in receipt of a planning application for a new waste management facility at Shireoaks Road. The application is presently being validated and will be subject to consultation and publicity in the coming weeks. All comments received will be taken into account as part of the decision-making process.”

Shireoaks Plastic Recycling Centre & Energy Recovery Facility, Project Team said: “The Shireoaks Plastics Recycling Centre will stop up to 20,000 tonnes per annum of non-recyclable plastic waste from going to landfill. The Energy Recovery Facility will generate up to 2.5 Megawatts of electricity - enough to power over 650 homes every year. The facilities will contribute to Nottinghamshire’s plastic and residual waste needs and will create approximately 80 jobs during its construction and 30 during operation."

The team confirmed the facilities will not be working with hazardous waste materials.