Local Plan Issues and Options (Regulation 18)

Comment

Representation ID: 4688

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Encyclis Ltd

SS26
I&O_4992
Encyclis Ltd, the operator of the consented Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at Protos strategic energy and resource hub, strongly supports the option to allocate Site EP04 for mixed employment, energy and waste-related uses as part of the new Local Plan. The ERF represents a major strategic investment in the area’s energy infrastructure, and once operational, will generate up to 49.9 megawatts of electricity (enough to power 75,000 UK homes), as well as the potential for heat and power supply to neighbouring uses. Designating land around the ERF for energy and waste-related development would reinforce the role of Protos as a regionally significant low-carbon energy and industrial hub, in line with national objectives for clean growth. Furthermore, the proposed allocation will attract investment in aligned sectors and provide l ong-term policy certainty to landowners, investors and occupiers.

Comment

Representation ID: 5889

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Encyclis Ltd

SS74
I&O_6275
Encyclis Ltd would encourage the Council to ensure that any future residential allocations near the Protos ERF are appropriately planned and assessed in relation to existing and future industrial, waste and energy operations. It is essential that adequate separation, buffering, and design mitigation measures are incorporated to avoid potential land use conflicts, safeguard the operational integrity of nationally significant infrastructure such as the Protos ERF and ensure that future residential amenity is not compromised. A clear and robust planning framework will help to ensure the long-term coexistence of high-quality employment and residential uses without undermining the functionality of either.

Comment

Representation ID: 5893

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Encyclis Ltd

EP1
I&O_6279
Encyclis Ltd agree with the proposed policy approach towards Ellesmere Port as set out in EP1 and agree that it is important to ensure sites within the Eastern Growth Zone such as Protos are identified given the considerable potential to achieve future long-term, strategic, economic growth.

Comment

Representation ID: 5896

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Encyclis Ltd

EP5
I&O_6282
Encyclis Ltd, the owner and operator of the consented Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at Protos, supports the policy approach contained within EP3. However, Encyclis Ltd would like to ensure that when the current policies map is reviewed and updated, the following plots are allocated and identified for development to ensure that both extant consents and planned developments are taken into account and identified when allocating land on the policies map. 1) The consented ERF site that is currently under construction; 2) The consented Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage site 3) The land immediately to the north of the ERF consented site. This land is critical to the long-term operational resilience of the ERF and may likely be required for future ancillary functions. Please note that we have tried to submit a plan with these representations to fully identify the site boundaries mentioned above but the online forms to not allow the submission of additional files. However, plans have been submitted as part of the Call for Sites process that sits alongside this consultation so please refer to this plan under Call for Sites submission reference "sites2025_49"

Comment

Representation ID: 6469

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Encyclis Ltd

MW4
I&O_6883
Encyclis Ltd, the owner and operator of the consented Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), supports the Council’s proposed approach to safeguarding existing, under-construction and consented waste uses at Protos, while also allowing for other forms of low-carbon and sustainable energy-related development on remaining plots, as outlined in proposed policy EP3 (‘Origin – Protos’). However, we request that additional safeguarding / allocation be applied to the land immediately to the north of the ERF. This land is critical to the long-term operational resilience of the ERF and may likely be required for future ancillary functions. Given the strategic importance of the Protos site in meeting both local and regional waste recovery capacity and delivering low-carbon baseload power, we consider it essential that the Local Plan provides sufficient flexibility and long-term land use certainty to support the ERF's evolution. Safeguarding this additional area for waste-related and ancillary uses would help future-proof the facility, maximise its potential, and ensure alignment with the broader objectives of the Protos site as a key clean growth hub. We also ask that the site which benefits from the extant consent for Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (located to the south east of the ERF) is also identified on the Proposals Map to reflect its extant consent for Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage plus ancillary uses. Finally, we ask that the site of the ERF itself is identified and allocated on the Proposals Map to protect its use as an ERF. Please note that we have tried to submit a plan with these representations to identify the plots described above but the online forms do not allow this. As such, please refer to the plans submitted with the Call for Sites consultation under submission reference: "sites2025_49". We therefore support the principle of a more nuanced safeguarding policy but recommend that the land north of the ERF is included within the safeguarded area for waste and associated uses. Encyclis supports the continued evolution of the Protos site as a strategic low-carbon energy and industrial cluster and considers that the remaining plots within the site are well suited to accommodate complementary uses that align with this vision. Appropriate uses would include carbon capture and utilisation technologies, battery storage, circular economy facilities, and energy-intensive businesses that could benefit from a co-location with the ERF. Such uses would reinforce the site's functional identity, support innovation and investment, and maximise the wider economic and environmental value of the Protos infrastructure.