Veolia calls on Government to back UK waste projects

The Government must support recycling and waste projects to encourage inward investment, according to Veolia Environnement UK and Northern Europe executive vice president Estelle Brachlianoff.


Speaking ahead of the Budget, Brachlianoff urged the Chancellor George Osborne to ensure that an “appropriate planning and permitting regime exists if the Government wants to attract future business for the sector”.

In a statement on the topic, she said: “The UK recovery is currently being driven by increased consumption and requires both international and domestic investment to deliver sustainable economic growth. Whilst the Government has made no secret of the fact that it would welcome greater inward investment, particularly in infrastructure, we agree with the CBI that ‘actions speak louder than words’.

“As a multinational company which has already invested £1.6bn in UK PLC since 2000, we are waiting for tangible signs of this engagement which in a competitive market would encourage us to select the UK as part of our next long-term investment cycle.

“We currently have a ‘shovel-ready’ recycling and energy recovery facility still waiting for Government go-ahead despite planning authority approval, and being the result of an initiative by the local authority to increase landfill diversion.

“It is these types of delays which make institutional investors concerned whether the UK is indeed ‘open for business’.”

Liz Gyekye

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe