Environmental Impact Assessment - Warwick International

We managed the planning application and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a biomass power station in North Wales.  The system will burn waste wood to provide sustainable energy for a globally important chemical factory.

Client Wins

• We delivered planning permission within 8 months, despite political controversy.
• We made sure that the EIA also informed the design, to deliver the best project for our client.

The Details

The client specified an extremely tight timescale for delivery of the EA of 8 months.  The development was located next to a SSSI, RAMSAR site and SAC, and so had the potential for complex ecological implications.  Flooding was also an issue.  The project was politically very contentious, with opposition from a local group.

A constantly changing design added difficulty to the coordination of technical assessments and surveys.

We acted as advisors to the project team and helped the project meet the needs of the Welsh Assembly Government and Local Planning Authority.  Our close liaison with the LPA and Statutory Consultees allowed us to meet the extraordinarily short timescale. Due to the controversy surrounding the project, we conducted a high level of community engagement, including a public exhibition, acting as Warwick International’s interface with the community.

A key success in this project was the early identification of the issue of ecology.  This meant that ecologists could be involved at an early stage, attending the screening meeting with the council and setting out a plan of action from the beginning.