Almost 70 new permament jobs, plus hundreds of construction jobs, are in prospect following approval of plans for a £180m ‘energy-from-waste’ plant on Ellesmere Port’s borders.

Planners at Wirral Council put off making a decision in August and asked to visit the site of the proposed Biossence plant in Eastham.

The location, on Hooton Park next to Eastham Oil Refinery, is next to Vauxhall Motors car plant and football ground.

Last year, the company submitted a planning application for an advanced plant which it says will process up to 260,000 tonnes of pre-treated commercial waste a year and produce almost 50MW of electricity, enough to power more than 100,000 homes.

The proposals sparked controversy in the area with Eastham Village Preservation Association, saying it was deeply concerned about the potential increase in traffic bringing waste to the site.

Ward councillor Phil Gilchrist (Lib Dem) also said he wanted to ensure HGV traffic was kept away from the conservation area.

“I would like it made clearer that the routes and penalties for non-compliance should be covered from the outset from when waste materials are first delivered,” he insisted.

But Biossence said it would be ‘a key priority’ to keep traffic from Eastham Village with deliveries arriving via junction 6 of the M53.

The company says the plant will create up to 68 new jobs, plus more than 300 during construction.

Biossence originally received planning permission for a renewable energy plant in 2008 but submitted the new application based on more advanced technology.

According to a report prepared for Wirral Council’s planning committee, waste materials brought to the plant will be ‘subject to a gasification process’.

The power generated will be used to power the plant itself with the remainder exported to the national grid.

The report added: “The borough’s conservation officer has raised no objections to this proposal.”

The committee agreed the plant could have permission.

Following the meeting, Biossence director Ralph Trottnow said: “We are obviously very pleased and fully intend to work with Eastham Village and the Preservation Association to ensure all the measures that can be implemented legally to minimise the potential disruption from traffic.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us and we intend to co-operate closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that we are compliant with all the necessary regulations that will control our processes.

“We aim to create a virtuous circle, helping divert hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste away from landfill.”