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Drax Ash Mound Extraction Plan Approved Amid Concerns
Developing
In Short: Residents and local authorities have raised concerns over the environmental and community impacts of Drax Power Station's ash mound extraction plan.
Plans to extract up to 23.5 million tonnes of ash from a disposal site next to Drax Power Station have been approved by North Yorkshire Council, despite objections from local residents. The 161-hectare mound, which has been used for ash deposits since the 1970s, will be used for construction products such as concrete, reducing the need for virgin aggregates.
Objections from three people cited concerns about dust, noise, lighting, air pollution, and the impact on the landscape. Additionally, concerns were raised about habitat loss, the scale and duration of the scheme, and the removal of screening that helps shield Drax Power Station from nearby communities, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Drax submitted a visualisation of the area showing what it would look like once the ash had been removed and the land restored. However, the scheme would see ash recovered over two phases, with extraction potentially continuing until 2045 and full restoration of the site expected by 2055. North Yorkshire Council approved the application by Drax Power Ltd, but imposed conditions on when the site could be worked, limiting operations from 8am until 8pm, excluding Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Another councillor, Mark Crane, whose area includes Barlow, said proposals that the site was to operate 18 hours a day, from 06:00 until midnight, seven days a week excluding bank holidays, "blew his mind." Residents also expressed concern about the loss of established woodland and habitats, the length and scale of the operation, and the removal of parts of the mound which currently help screen Drax Power Station from surrounding communities.
Although North Yorkshire Council approved the application by Drax Power Ltd for the Barlow Ash Mound, it imposed conditions on when the site could be worked following concerns from residents. Permission already existed to recover ash from parts of the site, but the new scheme extends extraction into an area which had previously been capped, restored, and returned to agricultural and environmental uses.
What's confirmed
- Objections from three people cited concerns about dust, noise, lighting, air pollution and the impact on the landscape.
- Residents had raised concerns about the scheme including the impact of dust and noise Plans to extract up to 23.5 million tonnes of ash from a disposal site next to Drax Power Station have been approved.
- The 161-hectare (398 acre) mound, immediately north-west of the power station near Selby, reaches up to 39 metres (128ft) and has been used for ash deposits from Drax since the 1970s.
What's still developing
- Nothing material beyond the confirmed record.
Sources
- BBC link