South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa has raised the concerns of local people over plans for a new Waste Processing Plant in the village of Shawell, near Lutterworth, with the Prime Minister at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
Residents in the village have expressed worries about the proposals from waste management company Beauparc Group to turn Cotesbach Mechanical Biological Treatment Unit, which has been closed since 2016, into a new waste-processing centre which could process over 150,000 tonnes of waste a year.
Local people have raised concerns about the proposed increase in HGVs entering the village and the environmental impact of importing waste to South Leicestershire from places across the UK and as far afield as Ireland.
Alberto said, “I was very pleased to raise the very understandable concerns of my constituents with the Prime Minister today. These plans for a new waste processing facility in Shawell are of course deeply troubling; this is a historic, rural village in a wonderful part of the county that could soon be overburdened by a huge number of HGVs and the pollution they bring with them. While I support all efforts to recycle as much as possible, we do have to think about the very best locations for these sites, a small village like Shawell however certainly isn’t one of them”.
Harborough District Councillor for Misterton Ward, Jonathan Bateman added, “I fully support local resident’s objections to this application and am of course immensely to Alberto for taking this matter on and raising it at the very highest level of Government. The proposal does not confirm to Leicestershire County Council’s own Waste and Minerals Policy and will only bring congestion and air pollution to the area without any significant gains for local people.”
Alberto concluded, “I look forward to taking this matter further with the appropriate Minister in Government, while I appreciate this decision is rightfully to be taken by the local council, it’s imperative that my constituents have their voices and their views loudly heard. The Government’s policy is for local areas to recycle as much as possible locally, and therefore any environmental benefits of recycling at Shawell will surely be diminished by the emissions involved in importing waste from other parts of the UK and allegedly even Ireland. Instead, I would ask the developer to think again about these plans and I will certainly do all I can to continue support my constituents in strongly opposing them”.
Alberto is pictured above speaking in the House of Commons.
