Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2020 to Question 65969 on air pollution: Shipley, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on air quality levels in Shipley of the proposed incinerator at Marley, Keighley.

The Environment Agency (EA) assesses the emissions from new energy from waste (EfW) plants as part of its permitting process.

The EA has assessed the impact of emissions from the proposed plant on air quality. The permit assessment process includes a comparison of the maximum predicted concentrations of different pollutants from the plant against the relevant air quality standards, also taking into account the levels of background pollution already present in the area. The EA will not grant a permit for an EfW plant if it could have a significant impact on air quality.

The EA is currently carrying out a public consultation on this application and the consultation documents contain the EA’s assessment of the emissions from the plant and the measures proposed to regulate those emissions should the permit be granted.