Rivenhall waste plans leave Braintree residents awaiting scrutiny
The amended applications for the Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility will be decided by Essex County Council after the Secretary of State declined to call them in. Braintree District Council says it remains concerned about the combined effect of changes to the scheme and will continue to raise residents’ concerns through the planning process.
Council says changes reshape the approved scheme
Braintree District Council says the applications have evolved since the project was approved at national level in 2010. It had objected to the original proposals and later sought a call-in in 2025, renewing its request in August 2026 after the site owners amended their applications.
The council says some earlier concerns have been addressed, but it believes the changes taken together could fundamentally alter the development’s form, operation, phasing and environmental assumptions. Those are the council’s concerns; the Secretary of State’s decision means the applications will proceed to determination by the county planning authority.
Councillor Gabrielle Spray, the council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, said it believed the scale and significance of the changes justified consideration by the Secretary of State. She said the council would continue representing residents and seek to ensure the applications’ implications are fully considered.
Essex County Council will determine the applications
Essex County Council is the relevant mineral waste planning authority, and the applications remain with it for determination. The call-in decision does not decide the merits of the amended applications; it leaves them to proceed through that planning process.
Braintree District Council published its response on 20 October 2026. It says it will continue raising its concerns as the county council considers the applications.
Source: Braintree District Council News
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This report reflects Braintree District Council’s account of the call-in decision and the next planning step stated in its release.
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- 2026-10-20 10:52
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