Braintree District Council has renewed its request for the Government to call in a series of planning applications relating to the Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility.
Braintree District Council has renewed its request for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to call in a series of planning applications relating to the Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF), following a review of amendments made to the proposals.
The Council originally objected to the Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) when it was considered by the Secretary of State in 2010. While the development was approved, the Council has continued to work with the statutory planning and licencing bodies, Essex County Council and the Environment Agency, to minimise potential impacts on local communities, infrastructure and the environment.
Since that decision, the owners of the Rivenhall site have submitted a number of applications seeking to amend various elements of the scheme. In 2025, Braintree District Council requested that the Secretary of State call in the latest applications for determination. In response, the Council was advised that any request should await the final form of the applications closer to their determination by Essex County Council.
Having now reviewed the amended applications, the Council has written again to the Secretary of State requesting that the applications be called in for determination. Whilst the council acknowledges that some of its previous concerns have been addressed, it remains firmly of the view that the “cumulative effect of the proposed changes would fundamentally alter the development approved by the Secretary of State”.
The Council’s concerns focus on the continued “substantial departure from the form, operation, phasing and environmental assumptions that underpinned the original consent”, and that changes would result in a “continued erosion of the planning safeguards secured through the Secretary of State’s decision”, reflecting on a scheme that has “evolved significantly beyond that originally considered and approved”.
Cllr Gabrielle Spray, Cabinet Member for Planning at Braintree District Council, said: “While we recognise that amendments have been made to the applications, we remain concerned that, when considered together, the proposed changes would substantially alter the development that was approved by the Secretary of State in 2010.
“Given the scale and significance of these changes, and the fact that the original scheme was determined at national level, we believe it is appropriate for the Secretary of State to consider whether these proposals remain acceptable.
“We will continue to represent the concerns of our residents and ensure that the implications of these applications are fully considered through the planning process.”