Huge waste plant gets approval for Edwin Richards Quarry site in Rowley Regis
A huge waste plant will be built at a disused quarry in the Black Country after the plans were given the go-ahead by council bosses.
The facility will be created at the Edwin Richards Quarry in Rowley Regis and marks the first phase of a major redevelopment vision which would eventually see 300 homes built on the site.
FCC Environment is overseeing a 30-year masterplan to fill in the Edwin Richards Quarry at Rowley Regis and build 281 homes on its southern edge.
The first step will be the creation of the waste management facility, which will treat 150,000 tonnes of soil every year.
The quarry has been used for landfill in recent years with household waste having gone into the ground. This will be removed and replaced with soil and non-hazardous materials as part of the development process.
Early work on moving soil from the site has already begun.
FCC Environment said the development would regenerate the land and extend Rowley Regis. Bosses have also said it is not 'practical, sustainable or desirable' to leave the site as it is.
Environment chiefs are also keen for action over the dormant quarry, which has become a security concern in recent years.
It is hoped the gaping hole that is the quarry will eventually become open green space to be used by residents of the new homes.
A warning had to be issued last year following reports children were 'tombstoning' into the water. Security patrols were stepped up around the site to try and stop children getting onto the site.
However, concerns have been raised about the creation of the waste treatment facility on the site.
Some 6,000 tons of materials would be driven to the site in lorries every week. A gas utilisation plant and a waste vehicle depot would also be built.
Rowley Regis councillor Chris Tranter said he shared concerns about noise that would be coming from the site but the development would be positive for the area in the long term.
He said: "I fully support it although I'm not overwhelmed by the volume of traffic going in and out.
"The facility will decontaminate some of the land material. It's mainly building waste, it's nothing like it was five or six years ago when there was household rubbish there which attracted lots of flies."
