New £200m River Mersey waste treatment plant to create 350 jobs
United utillities has been given the go ahead to build a £200million extension to its waste treatment plant on the banks of the River Mersey in a scheme that could create up to 350 jobs.
Three hundred and fifty jobs are set to be created on Merseyside after plans for a new £200m waste processing plant on the banks of the River Mersey were passed.
Energy giant United Utilities was given the go ahead to build a £200m extension to its waste treatment plant by Liverpool council’s planning committee.
The existing works at Sandon Dock, Regent Road, will be extended into the redundant Wellington Dock next to it.
Dredging has already taken place and it is hoped work will begin next month.
The work must be completed by 2016. The move follows United Utilities being prosecuted by the Environment Agency for polluting the Mersey.
The treatment facility, based on successful plants in other coastal cities such as Cardiff and Dublin, will be sunk into Wellington Dock and coping stones, dock features and furniture will be retained where possible.
Local businesses, residents and the city council will also be consulted before and throughout the building phase of the project to ensure there is no negative impact on the city’s famous skyline or docklands environment.
Local schools will also have a chance to put their mark on the project as a mural designed by youngsters is set to be unveiled on the river-facing side of the new plant.
The result will be a plant able to cope with 11,000 litres of waste per second, serving around one million people in Merseyside from Crosby in the north to Speke in the south. United Utilities have said treated water leaving the plant will be cleaner and greener, helping the continuing rejuvenation of the Mersey and ensuring it meets European standards for water quality.
In 1985 the river was the most polluted in the UK, but it now sustains a wide range of fish such as salmon, trout, lamprey and dace.
Mark Walker, United Utilities’ principal project manager, said: “This is great news for the people of Liverpool.
“Our existing plant has played a key role in the clean up of the River Mersey and the new works will ensure we can continue to build upon that legacy.
“The expansion of Liverpool as a city down the years meant the current works were beginning to reach the end of their useful life.
“The new works will ensure we can continue to provide one of the city’s most essential services for many years to come.”
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