Knowsley Council has today been notified that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Michael Gove MP) will not be “calling in” the planning application for a medical waste incinerator on Simonswood Industrial Estate for a Public Inquiry.
Both the Leader of Knowsley Council and Sir George Howarth MP had written to the Secretary of State requesting him to call in the application, but these requests have been rejected.
This means that Lancashire County Council is now able to grant planning permission for the incinerator (subject to completion of a Section 106 legal agreement).
Councillor Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council, said “I am extremely disappointed by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ decision.
“We remain opposed to the waste incinerator, which is on the border of Kirkby, and we won’t lie down and accept what is happening.
“We have serious concerns that due process was not followed when Lancashire County Council’s Development Control Committee decided that the application for the incinerator should be approved.
“We are seeking further legal advice in order to inform our next steps.”