Controversial wood-processing plant - which will see 350 lorries a week visit - approved for Chesterfield countryside

Derbyshire County Council’s planning committee has approved plans from Silva Recycling Limited to build a wood processing facility on land off Mansfield Road, in the hamlet of Corbriggs, a few miles south-east of Chesterfield, close to a golf course.

Council officials had recommended approval due to the positives from the scheme, including the amount of waste it would see processed and recycled instead of heading for landfill, along with the reuse of what they felt was brownfield land.

This was despite concerns from North East Derbyshire District Council and more than 20 residents living nearby who felt the proposal would represent an unjust expansion into the countryside causing disruption for the tight-knit community surrounding the plot.

These concerns included the impact of traffic on roads which were already said to have congestion issues.

The plant would recycle 75,000 tonnes of waste wood products each year and turn it into wood chips to be used for woodchip panelling, along with other uses.

This would see 50 HGV trips a day to and from the site between 7am and 7pm, with 352 across the week. Two trips – to and from the site – would take place at night-time, the owners say, which officials say would effectively blend with existing traffic during those times.

The plans have already seen the demolition of existing derelict and structurally unsound industrial buildings on the site, which were said to be attracting anti-social behaviour.

County council officers, recommending approval, had written: “This proposal is for another waste use on the site which processes wood waste only. The existing business uses (heavy industry) have operated in the past with a waste use adjoining or nearby.

“It is not considered that the cumulative impact of the proposed development on neighbouring businesses and nearby residential amenity would be significant.”

County planning officers said that there would be “limited harm” to the countryside and this would be “outweighed by the suitability and sustainability of the site and the proposal’s benefits”.

They had said the noise from the facility would largely be obscured by the noise of Mansfield Road and current traffic using the nearby A617 dual carriageway.

District council officers had recommended that the plans should be rejected, but this has been overridden by the county counterparts, with district officials saying: “This expansion into the countryside would irreversibly alter the character of the site and the surrounding area.”

Cllr Jack Woolley, who represents the Sutton division on the county council, which includes Corbriggs, wrote an extensive statement begrudgingly backing the scheme in the face of previous issues from the former site owners.

He said: “I understand why residents are concerned given the historical issues relating to the site and previous owners and operators.

“I’m happy to take Silva’s word in good faith and don’t believe they will continue in the same vein as those who’ve operated and mismanaged the site before them.

“The success or failure of this application will come down to whether the site will operate as currently proposed by Silva.

“I believe they will operate with courtesy toward residents and neighbours.

“I think this site has the potential to work. However, this will require honesty and transparency for residents who have sadly not had much of this over recent years.

“I think the potential for job creation, investment in our area and the cleaning up of a dilapidated brownfield site is positive and shouldn’t be overlooked.”

Cllr Woolley said the company should keep all main operations between 7am and 7pm, moving one hour later to 8am at the weekends, and not carry out works outside of those hours or risk causing “extremely unfair” “great nuisance” for residents.

Any other operations, such as deliveries, should be kept to a minimum outside of the core hours, with no unsafe or hazardous materials processed on-site, he said.