New council leader eyes a ‘residents first’ approach to planning

New Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah

Oldham’s newly-appointed council leader, Cllr Arooj Shah, has joined with her Labour council colleagues and Labour MPs Angela Rayner and Jim McMahon in raising concerns about a proposed biowaste plant in Failsworth and a possible Energy Recovery Facility in Royton.

The biowaste station at Walton Mill has been submitted to the Council’s planning department by Enviroil and has received a large number of objections from residents.

The mooted incinerator at Mossdown Road in Royton has yet to be formally submitted for consideration by the Council’s Planning Committee.

Cllr Shah said: “It’s really important that we attract investment and jobs into Oldham.

"But it has to be the kind of investment that improves our neighbourhoods.

“We’ll always support businesses to find an appropriate solution, but our first priority has to be residents.

"Understandably there are real concerns about both of these projects, on environmental grounds but also in terms of the impact it will have on local roads.

“The council has legal responsibilities to assess applications strictly according to planning rules.

"There have been, and no doubt will be in the future, cases where locals are unhappy but the Planning Committee have no choice but to accept the application because it’s legally sound.

“Where an application comes down to the judgement of the Planning Committee, however, it’s important that we aren’t to quick to grab whatever investment is on offer, but instead assess the case in the round, including the impact it will have on local people.”

Royton South councillor Marie Bashforth said: “Of course we want investment and new jobs in Royton.

"But from what we’ve seen of the proposals the incinerator would pump out large amounts of CO2 and add lots of industrial traffic in an area that wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“I hope if the organisers of the project do submit a formal application, that the Planning Committee will see that in its current form it’s completely inappropriate.”

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