The Environment Agency opened consultation on an application by Seletia (F) Limited to vary the environmental permit for Flusco Landfill, at Newbiggin, on August 21.
The regulator describes the application as involving a ‘substantial change’ to the permit.
Documents submitted by Seletia show it wants to increase the permitted annual input of non-hazardous waste from 66,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes.
It is also seeking to raise annual limits for inert waste from 25,000 to 200,000 tonnes and waste used for restoration from 25,000 to 200,000 tonnes.
The overall permitted capacity of the landfill would remain unchanged, with the application instead seeking to dramatically increase the rate at which waste can be deposited.
In a market assessment supporting the application, Seletia says it has ‘a number of waste supply contracts’ confirming material is available to support increased throughput.
It says Flusco is well placed to accept residual waste from Cumbria and surrounding areas, including northern Lancashire, County Durham and ‘potentially from southern Scotland’.
The company says the ‘primary strategic driver’ for increasing annual throughput is to accelerate completion of the landfill and its restoration.
Its report says: “By enabling earlier final capping, infrastructure completion, and restoration, the Operator aims to reduce the duration of emissions and nuisance (e.g. odour, dust, noise).”
It also says faster completion could ‘minimise long-term disruption from HGV movements and site activity’.
Seletia acknowledges, however, that increasing throughput ‘will result in more frequent waste deliveries and operational activity’.
It argues this would be balanced by accelerated completion of landfill cells, earlier final capping and earlier installation of gas management infrastructure.
The company says the increase is also needed ‘to accommodate the volumes committed under existing contractual arrangements, which exceed the current annual tonnage limits’.
The application has reached public consultation following a turbulent period at Flusco.
The Environment Agency issued an enforcement notice in October 2025 following concerns over compliance with the site’s environmental permit.
A suspension notice followed in December, preventing new waste from being accepted until specified measures were completed.
Seletia appealed against both notices, with the case heard at Rheged in May, but an inspector upheld the Environment Agency’s action in June.
The permit variation itself predates the conclusion of that enforcement battle, with the proposed increases contained in documents prepared earlier this year.
Seletia’s January assessment says the company was ‘engaging with the Environment Agency to address recent compliance matters through a structured programme of corrective actions’.
It adds: “The proposed increase in annual tonnage is part of a broader commitment to accelerate the engineered restoration of the site, ensuring earlier cessation of landfill operations and minimising long-term environmental and amenity impacts.”
The Environment Agency is now inviting representations on the application before deciding whether to grant the variation.