July 24, 2019 12.30 pm This story is over 56 months old

New Boston energy facility ‘still lacks detail’

They want more information on things like air pollution, traffic management and noise
The Boston Alternative Energy Facility is proposed for a site at the Riverside Industrial Estate. Photo: Boston Borough Council

Boston Borough Councillors will again call for more information regarding a new energy plant in the town.

The authority’s environment scrutiny committee is set to agree its latest response to the Boston Alternative Energy Facility proposed for the Riverside Industrial Estate on Tuesday.

In it, they say: “There are many positive benefits the scheme as proposed will bring to the Borough of Boston and the council wishes to work closely with the applicant to ensure all issues are fully considered before the final plans are submitted to the Secretary of State to ensure the design of the site can fully capitalise on these options to further enhance job creation and supply chain opportunities.

“However, the wider economic benefits must be balanced with the impact on the community, both residents and business together with the impact on wildlife and the River Haven ecology.”

They want more information on things like air pollution, traffic management, noise and pollution impacts and jobs. They are also calling for the August 6 deadline for feedback to be extended.

Plans showing some of the key sites around the new alternative energy site.

They also suggest working further with Lincolnshire County Council to create a permanent new access road to the site.

In November last year, senior councillors also called for more information on funding and extended consultation.

The facility, being created by Alternative Use Boston Projects Ltd, is proposed for a site at the Riverside Industrial Estate and will include the creation of a new wharf with berthing points for up to three ships.

It is adjacent to the Boston Biomass facility on the bank of The Haven, currently under construction, and the Lincolnshire Waste Transfer Station.

It will generate 102 MW of electricity with 80 MW of this being exported to the National Grid, which bosses say will power the equivalent of more than 185,000 homes.

Bosses say the facility will also process around one million tonnes of refuse derived fuel, which might usually be sent abroad.

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