Rushden recycling centre damaged by fire to be rebuilt
The fire broke out in May 2025
A recycling centre in Rushden that was set ablaze in a major incident last year has been greenlit to rebuild a canopy building damaged in the fire.
The Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the Monoworld plastic recycling site on the Sanders Lodge industrial estate in Rushden in May 2025. At the time, reports were made that people living in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire could see the thick clouds of black smoke rising from the site.
Since the incident, which was determined to be caused by “spontaneous combustion”, Monoworld Recycling Limited has asked North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) for permission to construct a replacement steel-framed canopy building at the facility.
It will provide the centre with an additional 992 square metres of covered, indoor space for the storage of processed plastic, fibre and metal waste materials. The applicant has said it will also protect machinery and site operatives from the elements.
Over the consultation period, NNC received an objection to the proposals from Rushden Town Council, as well as a further 12 from members of the public. Requests were made for additional fire suppression systems, given the history of the site, as well as concerns over an ongoing fly infestation affecting nearby residents.
Speaking at a planning meeting on Wednesday (April 8), local resident Gillian Mercer said the area suffered from a “huge number of flies every year” and contended that the environment agency, which raised no objections to the application, had not been able to control the issue so far.
On the fire concerns from the centre, she continued: “On 23 May last year, I woke to see a huge plume of smoke from my bedroom window as it caught fire. Nearby firms had to evacuate, residents could not open their windows and doors. Even indoors, my eyes streamed from the smoke.
“You can’t say any longer that a fire won’t happen because it has. We need a condition to improve the water supply.”
NNC councillor Ash Hall (Reform UK, Pemberton) also appealed to the planning committee to strengthen safeguards against a repeat fire.
“I recognise that no objection has been raised by the environment agency or the fire and rescue service, however that does not remove the responsibility of this committee, ” he said.
“This committee must still ensure that development is acceptable in planning terms, particularly in relation to amenity and safety, given the site’s history. We are not dealing with a hypothetical risk.”
He called for the panel to enforce conditions for the applicant to provide a detailed fire prevention plan, fire suppression infrastructure including sufficient water supply, and strict controls on storage and material handling.
Planning officers told members that there’s no requirement for the fire service to comment on proposals at the planning permission stage, as it is an existing operational site, but that they would be involved at the building regulations stage, which ensures minimum legal safety standards.
They also addressed concerns with odour and flies on the site, adding that the planning permission would only provide the new covered canopy and would not change the existing work with waste being carried out on site. The meeting heard that the Environment Agency had also agreed a pest control plan with the applicant.
Reform UK Cllr Jennie Bone (Higham Ferrers) said: “We are in a situation where, in my opinion, we have to grant, but I’m hoping the town council and the residents will be comforted by the fact that at the next stage the fire and rescue service will be heavily involved.”
The committee ultimately approved the application, with seven members in favour and three abstentions.
As part of the permission, the operator has been encouraged to establish a Local Liaison Group, which was requested by the town council, to engage with the community going forward.