Plans for £200m Yorkshire Energy Park at Hedon approved
Plans for a £200m business centre including a power station, education campus and research centres in East Yorkshire have been approved.
The Yorkshire Energy Park will be built on a former aerodrome at Hedon near Hull. Developers Sewell Group said the scheme could create more than 4,000 jobs. Some residents had campaigned against it claiming there would be an increase traffic, pollution and noise and wildlife would be affected. East Riding of Yorkshire Council planning officers had recommended the plans be turned down over concerns that green space would be lost but the council's planning committee approved it by 6 to 5 votes. Managing director of the developer Paul Sewell described the decision as "a good afternoon for the young people of the area". 'War goes on' He said work was ready to start on the project subject to final approval by the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Hedon town councillor and objector John Dennis described the decision as "very disappointing" and said he hoped the plan would now be subject to a public inquiry. "It's a battle we have just happened to lose by the odd point," he said. "The war goes on and we continue fighting." The site, owned by Hull City Council, will feature an energy generation plant providing power for the site and the National Grid. Several global companies have backed the project including EON, IBM, Vodafone and Chinese telecom giant ZTE. Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.