The proposed application
Augean is intending to submit a planning application to Peterborough City Council, a summary of the main aspects that will be covered in the application is set out in the following sections of this website:
Restoration
Augean are proposing that there should be an amendment to the current separate restoration profiles for Thornhaugh Landfill Site and Cooks Hole to form one integrated, coherent landform scheme across both sites.
The restoration of the sites will be to nature conservation interest and would extend the existing consented restoration habitats from Thornhaugh Landfill Site through to Cooks Hole so that a wider mix of habitats is available across both sites. There is the potential for the restoration to tie in with wider local aspirations for the future enhancement of Rockingham Forest, to create green infrastructure links with Bedford Purlieus and for the proposals to contribute to restoration of the wider landscape. It is anticipated that the revised restoration scheme for Cooks Hole will deliver biodiversity net gain.
These are the current consented restoration plans. The proposed new restoration scheme is presented in the next section.
A larger version of the current Thornhaugh restoration scheme can be viewed here.
A larger version of the current Cooks Hole restoration scheme can be viewed here.
In order to achieve the revised landform, Augean are proposing to import approximately 1.6 million m³ of clean, naturally occurring material such as soils and sub-soils which have been extracted as part of the existing landfill construction operations and will be extracted as part of the future construction operations for the landfill at the East Northants Resource Management Facility (ENRMF) in Kings Cliffe and as part of the landfill construction operations at Thornhaugh. The proposal suggests the creation of the landform to the south of Thornhaugh Brook first and then working northwards across the Cooks Hole Quarry site to integrate with the restoration landform at Thornhaugh Landfill Site.
The creation of the proposed landform will facilitate the continued operation of ENRMF, which is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, by utilising the material that arises during the construction of the landfill cells and without moving the material a long distance.
The sites will be subject to an aftercare and maintenance period following the completion of restoration. The length of the aftercare period will be subject to agreement with Peterborough City Council. It will be necessary to retain the landfill site management infrastructure at Thornhaugh for the continued monitoring and management of landfill gas and leachate until such time as the Environmental Permit is surrendered in agreement with the Environment Agency.