New waste treatment works to be built in Blackpool after getting the go ahead from the council

The scheme will see the site of former gas holders on the edge of the town redeveloped for the processing of up to 250,000 tonnes of construction waste per year. Town hall planners have granted planning permission for a site off Olympic Way, on Clifton Road, Marton, to be used as a treatment plant by North West-based civil engineering company JN Civils.

The land was previously occupied by two large gas holders which were demolished in 2015, having been built in 1940 to store gas from the Marton Gasworks. At its height, the gasworks was a 45-acre site with its own private railway sidings. Improvements in the national gas network meant that from 2010 they were no longer needed.

The site continues to be owned by gas company Cadent which leases it to JN Civils. The company installs and connects electric, gas, water, wastewater and telecoms utility services. Excavation work produces waste and it is proposed to treat this and produce recycled aggregate which can then be re-used in the construction industry. The scheme will create 10 full-time jobs.

No objections were lodged by neighbours, but planners, who approved the application using delegated powers, said conditions would include requirements for noise control and monitoring. The nearest homes are at Mereside, and a council report said noise assessments carried out on the edge of the estate found any impact to be 'low'.

In documents submitted to the council, the applicant said: "For all of the nearest noise sensitive properties the rating level is below the background level. When context is taken into account, the impact of the proposed development remains ‘low’.

"The impact of the proposed development on the office use of the Blackpool Police Headquarters, and on the recreational use of the Mereside Park are also predicted to be low, and the development is unlikely to be significantly audible."

In approving the scheme, planners said the site was "within an established industrial estate and the applicant has selected the proposed site due to the suitability of this location for the proposed recycling use."