Have any other alternative sites been considered?
The application site is appropriately located: it is within a designated employment area close to a number of existing industrial and commercial uses. It is in an area that is not environmentally sensitive, with no statutory protected landscape, nature conservation or heritage sites within the site, and is not included within designated green belt, the extent of which lies to the northern side of the A1290. It is recognised that a local nature reserve lies a short distance to the south-east of the site, but no adverse effects to this are expected. The site’s proximity to the road network is one of the main reasons for selection as well as the neighbouring industrial and commercial uses, which could potentially be recipients of the generated heat and/or electricity.
The presence of land subject to green belt designation and identification of land for other uses and/or safeguarding for future development severely restricts the available land suitable for accommodating this development. Rolton Kilbride has considered other sites in the immediate vicinity, but none of these were considered preferable in relation to operational requirements, availability or potential environmental effects.