Portrack Incinerator

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Portrack Incinerator
Portrack meadows-800.jpg
Portrack Incinerator
CountryEngland
Location County Durham, North East England
Coordinates 54°34′16″N1°16′00″W / 54.571196°N 1.266791°W / 54.571196; -1.266791
Commission date 1975
Decommission date1996
Operator(s)
Thermal power station
Primary fuelWaste

grid reference NZ475198

The Portrack Incinerator was a municipal waste incinerator and waste-to-energy power station situated on the River Tees at Portrack in Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England.

Contents

Incinerator history

The incinerator was opened in 1975 to burn the domestic waste of the four local authorities of Middlesbrough, Stockton on Tees, Redcar & Cleveland and Hartlepool. [1] It was praised as an environmentally friendly answer to waste management on Teesside. [2] The plant burned approximately 200,000 tonnes of waste every year and had the potential capacity to generate 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity although it never actually did so. [1] Ash from the incinerator was sent to landfill and ferrous metal baled and sold on as scrap. During the 1980s, a former quarry at Whitton was used as a site to dump the incinerator's ash. [3]

In the early 1990s, Northumbrian Water and Internal Technology Europe Ltd. applied for planning permission to build a sludge incinerator alongside the waste incinerator. These plans were refused, despite an appeal in 1992. [4]

The incinerator was closed down in November 1996, after failing to meet new emission regulations. The plant was then demolished and its site cleared between 1998 and 2000. [1] The incinerator's 300-foot (91 m) tall chimney was demolished on 14 March 1999. [5] The budget for the demolition went into the red in early 2000. [6] The north part of the site was used as the Stockton civic amenity dump, until it closed in December 2001. [1]

The incinerator was superseded by the Teesside WTE Power Station a couple of miles down river at Haverton Hill.

Portrack Meadows Wildlife Reserve
England location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within England
Location Stockton-on-Tees, England
Operated by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
Website teeswildlife.org

Portrack Meadows Wildlife Reserve

After the Portrack Incinerator site was cleared it was transformed into a site for recreation and wildlife and named Portrack Meadows Wildlife Reserve. [1] The site is managed by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust who have placed several interpretation boards around the site for the visitor. At the site's blocked-off northern road entrance is a public sculpture entitled Germination (2005) commissioned by Tees Valley Wildlife. [7] [8]

Flora

Many trees were planted around the incinerator to screen it off, but when the site was cleared to give other plants a chance to grow, many of these trees were pollarded. After clearing the incinerator site it was planted with hedgerows, oak trees and sown with wildflower seeds. [8] [9] However the concrete base of the incinerator still remains under the sitea fact that may account for the extremely dense vegetation.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Tees</span> East coast river of Northern England

The River Tees, in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for 85 miles (137 km) to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar near Middlesbrough. The modern day history of the river has been tied with the industries on Teesside in its lower reaches, where it has provided the means of import and export of goods to and from the North East England. The need for water further downstream also meant that reservoirs were built in the extreme upper reaches, such as Cow Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarm</span> Town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Yarm, also referred to as Yarm-on-Tees, is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. It is in Teesdale with a town centre on a small meander of the River Tees. To the south-east, it extends to the River Leven, to the south it extends into the Kirklevington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton-on-Tees</span> Town in County Durham, England

Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Stockton-on-Tees unitary authority borough of County Durham, England. With a population of 84,815 in the 2021 UK census. It is part of the Teesside and the devolved Tees Valley area, on the northern banks of the River Tees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar and Cleveland</span> Borough in North Yorkshire, England

Redcar and Cleveland is a unitary authority area with borough status in North Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside</span> Conurbation in England

Teesside is a built-up area around the River Tees in North East England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The area contains the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham, Redcar, Thornaby-on-Tees, and Ingleby Barwick. Teesside's economy was once dominated by heavy manufacturing until deindustrialisation in the latter half of the 20th Century, alongside chemical production which continues to contribute significantly to Teesside's economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billingham</span> Town in County Durham, England

Billingham is a town and civil parish in County Durham, England. The town is on the north side of the River Tees and is governed as part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees unitary authority. It had a population of 35,165 in the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley</span> Mayoral combined authority area in North East England

The Tees Valley is a combined authority area in North East England, around the lower River Tees. The area is not a geographical valley; the local term for the valley is Teesdale. The combined authority covers five council areas: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portrack</span> Area of Stockton, County Durham, England

Portrack is an east Stockton area in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. It is close to Billingham opposite Thornaby and just west of Middlesbrough. The area is a large industrial and business part of Stockton, these are mainly centred on Portrack Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside Park</span> Leisure and shopping centre on Teesside, England

Teesside Park is a retail and leisure park in Thornaby-on-Tees, built in 1988. Located just off the A66 near the A66/A19 interchange, it is split between the unitary authorities of Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough with the line of the Old River Tees, which runs down the middle of the development, forming the boundary between the two authorities. The development has a central building that was constructed in 2008.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council elections are held every four years. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Stockton-on-Tees, which straddles the ceremonial counties of County Durham and North Yorkshire, England. Until 1 April 1996 it was a non-metropolitan district in Cleveland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Barrage International White Water Course</span> Sports venue in Stockton-on-Tees, England

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley Giants</span> Public work of art in Middlesbrough, England

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Viaduct</span> Viaduct over the River Tees in Northern England

The A19 Tees Viaduct or Tees Flyover is a high level six-lane dual carriageway road bridge in the North East of England carrying the main A19 trunk road north–south across the River Tees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside EfW</span> Power station in Billingham, UK

Teesside Energy from Waste plant is a municipal waste incinerator and waste-to-energy power station, which provides 29.2 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the National Grid by burning 390,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste a year. It is located on the River Tees at Haverton Hill, east of Billingham in North East England. Developed and built by NEM, a subsidiary of Northumbrian Water, the initial plant replaced the Portrack Incinerator and opened in 1998. Subsequently, the facility became part of SITA, now Suez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maze Park Nature Reserve</span>

Maze Park is a 42-acre (17 ha) urban nature reserve in Middlesbrough, England on the south bank of the Tees on part of the former Tees Marshalling Yard. It was created by the Teesside Development Corporation and is owned and run by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. The reserve is a narrow triangle of land bounded by the River Tees, the old River Tees, and the Thornaby rail marshalling yards.

Tees Valley Regeneration was an urban regeneration company covering the Tees Valley area of North East England and at one time was the largest urban development agency in England. The headquarters were at Cavendish House, Teesdale Business Park in Thornaby-on-Tees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gare</span> Area at Teesmouth in North Yorkshire, England

South Gare is an area of reclaimed land and breakwater on the southern side of the mouth of the River Tees in Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is accessed by taking the South Gare Road from Fisherman's Crossing at the western end of Tod Point Road in Warrenby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve</span>

Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve is a 50 acres (20 ha) reserve by the northern bank of the River Tees between the Tees Barrage and the Tees Viaduct, near Portrack housing estate in Stockton-on-Tees borough, County Durham. It is the last remaining wetland on the lower Tees. The site is bounded by Marston Road, a disused railway line, the Northumbrian Water's waste water treatment site, the River Tees, the Tees Barrage White Water Course, the grounds of The Talpore pub and a Tees Barrage access road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Marshalling Yard</span> Railway marshalling yard in Middlesbrough, England

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Portrack Meadows". Tees Wildlife. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  2. Delplanque, Paul (9 May 2008). "What a load of rubbish!". Gazette Live. Teesside: Evening Gazette. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  3. "Honey Pot Wood". Stockton-on-Tees. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  4. Mr. Baldry (27 October 1992). "Sludge Incinerators". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  5. "Symbolism of a new skyline". Wiki NorthEast. 15 March 1999. Retrieved 21 April 2009.[ dead link ]
  6. Kelly, June (8 January 2000). "The knock-down price" . Retrieved 25 September 2009.[ dead link ]
  7. "andrew mckeown - sculptor". Andrew McKeown. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.; "andrew mckeown - sculptor". Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.; "New Shoots". Teesside: Evening Gazette. 16 November 2005. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2009.; Thomas-Bailey, Carlene (4 April 2009). "Seeds of change". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  8. 1 2 "Sculptures grace restored incinerator site". Darlington: The Northern Echo. 29 June 2005. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  9. "Chain Gang". Teesside: Evening Gazette. 18 May 2005. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2009.; "Turf's up as mayors help create avenue of oak trees at nature site". Darlington: The Northern Echo. 14 April 2005. Retrieved 3 July 2009.[ dead link ]