MPs intervention see’s Government advise Waste Plants to ‘consider new DEFRA standards’

Lee Barron, the MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, represents residents living next to the Shelton Road Site in Corby. Planning permission for the site was granted a decade ago by Northamptonshire County Council’s Minerals & Waste Plan.

Raising the issue in the House of Commons, the MP asked Mary Creagh MP, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ‘re-look’ at the planning permission.

“Over a decade ago, planning permission was given to build an incinerator on the outskirts of Corby.” Lee Barron said. “The location now has over 6,000 houses, a school and a nursery. It is in the heart of the community and no longer on the outskirts.”

“Given that the incinerator is yet to be built, does the Minister agree that in light of the crackdown on waste incinerators with stricter standards, the planning application should now be re-looked at, and the incinerator moved away from family homes and placed somewhere more appropriate.”

Answering Barron, the Minister explained “While it is not appropriate for me to comment on a specific planning permission case, I do encourage those developing energy-from-waste facilities, including those that already have permission, to consider the evidence that DEFRA published over the recess, the new standards that we have introduced and the Government’s circular economy opportunities when determining whether their facility is still required.”

Writing to North Northamptonshire Council immediately before questioning the Government Minister, Lee Barron set out that he was asking for the Council to review the original decision and to use this as an opportunity to consider whether the same application, if submitted today, would still be deemed acceptable.

The MP has been working closely with parish councils in Gretton and Weldon and Priors Hall Residents Association to highlight and challenge the plans.

The Government announced in December 2024 that greater restrictions should be placed upon new energy waste plants which puts into sharp focus the current consensus on energy waste plants.

“Once heralded as the answer to our country’s recycling challenges, this type of waste plant is now considered to be one of the ‘dirtiest.’” Lee Barron continued. “The important Government announcement at the end of last year highlights and reinforces the urgent need to review and update assessments undertaken by specialists including The Environment Agency.”

“There is still time to review planning permission.” Lee Barron said. “This is a new waste incinerator; it is yet to be built out.”

“I am urging the council to act in the best interests of Corby’s residents by conducting a full review of this project, ensuring that our communities' voices are heard and that they are protected from potential environmental and public health risks.”

To see the Official Hansard record of Lee Barron asking the question in the House of Commons please visit https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-02-06/debates/3247A349-FB52-4F2C-AFFC-599F73B7D1C7/TopicalQuestions#contribution-F63065B6-BF01-402C-8E88-9FD7797FCE41

Mary Creagh was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 18 July 2024. She was elected as the MP for Coventry East in July 2024.

Contributed on behalf of Lee Barron