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Multi-million pound waste management deal bringing 300 jobs to Wakefield has been signed
new waste management facility on the old South Kirkby Colliery
A £750m waste management deal bringing more than 300 jobs has been signed by Wakefield Council.
A consortium of private companies which includes Shanks Group and Babcock Southern Holdings will take over the running of the council’s waste and recycling services.
The consortium will build a new, larger waste site at Denby Dale Road, in Wakefield and two others at Glasshoughton and South Kirkby, as part of the 25-year private finance initiative (PFI) deal.
And the council said the project will create 250 new jobs to build the sites and 60 permanent roles.
Council leader Coun Peter Box said: “We are very pleased that this agreement has been signed with Shanks Group plc to manage the district’s waste and recycling. It is excellent news for the district, bringing jobs and investment, as well as improving a service which is always high on the public’s agenda.
“It gives us the opportunity to safeguard jobs of current employees who work in this area and provide new jobs in one of the most deprived areas in the district with the building and opening of the new waste treatment plant in South Kirkby.”
It will take about two-and-a-half years for the three new facilities to be built.
A temporary facility will open on Calder Vale Road while work is being carried out at the Denby Dale Road site.
The new treatment plant at South Kirkby will allow more waste to be recycled and reduce the amount sent to landfills.
When the new facilities are complete, Ossett’s tip on Owl Lane will be phased out, along with other sites in Castleford, Ferrybridge, Fitzwilliam and South Kirkby.
Peter Dilnot, chief executive of Shanks Group plc, said: “We are delighted to have signed this contract with Wakefield Council and look forward to working with the authority and local residents to increase their diversion from landfill. Our solution will help them make more from the waste they produce by increasing recycling, generating green energy and producing compost for land remediation and use by residents.
“We are excited that the Green Investment Bank has chosen this project as one of its first major investments, which will see Shanks draw on experience from across our Group to deliver a genuinely sustainable solution.”
Joanne Roney, chief executive of Wakefield Council, said: “It has been a long journey, and at times challenging, but throughout the negotiations we have never lost sight of the need for additional finance to deliver a waste management system for the future.”
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Weather for Wakefield
Saturday 18 May 2013
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Light rain
Temperature: 7 C to 12 C
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