NEWS
A CGI shows where the potential new waste development site could be on Aycliffe Business Park .
FORNAX FUTURE
Aycliffe waste facility will help power NHS , says company founder
The founder of a company bidding to create a new specialist treatment facility in Newton Aycliffe says it will create sustainable jobs and help power the health service .
Fornax Environmental Solutions has applied to Durham County Council to build the factory , which would treat hazardous wastes and recover energy , on a two-hectare site at Merchant Park , adjacent to Hitachi Rail ’ s factory along Heighington Lane , on Aycliffe Business Park .
Fornax Environmental Solutions says the development is safe – and would be monitored by the Environment Agency .
And founder / chairman of the firm Mark Roberts – who has other green energy business interests in Harrogate , North Yorkshire – says the development would help to reduce local carbon footprint .
He told Aycliffe Business : “ The facility will support the NHS alongside hospitals , doctor surgeries , nursing homes , and other medical facilities in the North-East .
“ Merchant Park benefits from an implemented planning permission for business and industrial uses , together with an energy recovery centre which mirrors the sustainable energy centre now envisaged within the emerging proposals .
“ The facility has also been designed to enable energy from the waste process to be recovered and distributed to other nearby businesses .”
On Fornax ’ s website , the firm adds : “ Most of our target waste is currently being transported hundreds of miles , creating a considerable carbon footprint , and being treated in ageing facilities with their own considerable carbon footprints .
“ The process used is safe and proven in similar facilities already operating within the UK .
“ It would be monitored by the Environment Agency through an Environmental Permit and we will continually self-monitor through the in-built automated state-of-the-art technology .
“ The facility would aim to recover the available heat produced during the process to use within the facility .
“ The project has also been designed with the ability to provide residual heat to neighbouring industrial users should it be practically and commercially possible to do so .”
Sedgefield MP Paul Howell facilitated two online meetings between Fornax management and local residents , amid concerns about the development and potential air pollution .
Aycliffe Business understands the meetings were constructive , and that Fornax answered concerns from residents with detailed information to reassure them that the facility would not have any detrimental impacts on the environment .
“ I had received emails registering concerns and saw on social media that residents were frustrated by the level and timing of information they had received ,” said Mr Howell .
“ As an MP I have no formal role in the planning process , but working with councillor Gerald Lee , I was able to engage with Fornax to deliver these information sessions .
“ I would thank the residents who engaged for their detailed questioning and Fornax for their clear answers . I hope this has put the residents in a well-informed position as formal planning proceeds .”
Formax says it expects to create around 27 full-time jobs when complete , and its construction would support 75 jobs , and create many opportunities for a wide range of local suppliers and supply chains .
Mr Roberts added : “ Since starting this project , we have been committed to being a good neighbour to the community .
“ We understand that people will have questions about new development , particularly when it involves unfamiliar or new technologies .”
Fornax Environmental Solutions is backed by the British Strategic Equity Fund , a £ 300m fund managed by Gresham House and made up of seven local authority pension funds including the Greater Manchester Pension Fund and the West Midlands Pension Fund .
If the application is approved , the facility is expected to be operational in late 2022 .
BUSINESS BRIEFS
GROWTH FUND BOOST The County Durham Growth Fund has awarded £ 5.4m in grants to 21 companies from across the county , helping to create over 500 jobs .
Established in April 2019 , the fund is a £ 8.9m capital grant scheme providing grants to small and medium enterprises in County Durham to accelerate their growth .
The fund is managed by Business Durham , the economic development arm of Durham County Council , in partnership with UMi , which has a dedicated team of advisors ready to help with initial eligibility checks and funding applications .
CRAFTER ’ S SPONSORSHIP Crafter ’ s Companion is supporting Spennymoor Town FC ’ s youth academy and affordable football for all strategy with a new partnership .
The craft business , which has its UK head office in Newton Aycliffe and a US head office in Corona , California , is sponsoring the club ’ s Mini Moors two-tofive-year-olds team for two years .
This is the third year that Crafter ’ s Companion has supported Spennymoor Town FC with a sponsorship deal , in a bid to promote the ethos of the club and bolster the surrounding community for children and young adults .
UNIVERSITY SUPPORT Private sector-led Open North Foundation has signed a major strategic partnership with Teesside University , allowing pandemic-hit businesses access to fully funded programmes via its Business School .
Receiving a double boost , the foundation has welcomed a £ 10,000 cash donation from the university , which it will use to fund grants for small businesses .
The announcement means the foundation now has the support of two of the region ’ s top universities , with Northumbria University having agreed a partnership with the not-for-profit organisation in December 2020 .
Established in summer 2020 , Open North Foundation assists small firms in the North-East looking to recover from the pandemic .
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 5