Rookery South Resource Recovery Facility Project
1 December 2011 (updated on 1 December 2011)
A 21-day petitioning period opened on Tuesday 29 November 2011 for people specially and directly affected by the proposed construction of a resource recovery facility near Stewartby, Bedfordshire to indicate that they would like to give evidence to a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament - if one is appointed to consider whether the project should go ahead.
The Rookery South (Resource Recovery Facility) Order 2011 is a special procedure order which seeks to enable Covanta to construct an Energy-from-Waste Facility (EfW) and a post treatment Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in the former brick clay extraction pit, called the Rookery South pit, near Stewartby in Bedfordshire.
The order has to undergo special parliamentary procedure before it can have effect. These permit specially and directly affected individuals and groups to present their arguments against the order to a Joint Committee appointed to consider the order.
Submit your views
Those wishing to give their views must follow the guidelines for submitting a ‘petition’ to either the House of Commons or the House of Lords – it makes no difference which House is petitioned.
A ‘petition’ in this context is a document in a specific format that outlines how the proposed use of Rookery South pit affects them and why they think the proposal should not go ahead.
Petitioning kits are available here:
House of Commons petitioning kit
House of Lords petitioning kit
You can also contact the Private Bills Offices:
Telephone the House of Commons Private Bill Office on 020 7219 6008 or email prbohoc@parliament.uk
Telephone the House of Lords Private Bill Office 020 7219 3231 or email prbohol@parliament.uk
The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 19 December 2011.
If petitions are presented to either House, a joint committee will almost certainly be appointed to consider them.
Further information
South (Resource Recovery Facility) Order 2011 is a special procedure order. They are quite rare. The last one to have petitions presented against it was laid in 1999.