THE FATE of controversial plans to scrap rusting American warships in a North-East yard will be decided next week.

After years of wrangling, inquiries and legal battles Able UK is poised to get the go-ahead for its plan to make its yard in Hartlepool a world leader in warship re-cycling.

The scheme has attracted considerable opposition from environmentalists who say the first batch of US Naval ships should never have sailed from America.

They claim the rusting vessels are an environmental risk and that they should have been recycled in their home country.

But Able claims it has the expertise to dismantle the ships and says its facilities could make Hartlepool a leading player in the disposals market worth hundreds of millions every year.

If it is to realise its dream the company needs planning permission for extensive alterations to its Graythorp site on the outskirts of the town.

The three planning applications and a Hazardous Substances Consent will be considered by the council's planning committee at the Borough Hall, Headland, Hartlepool on Friday, October 5.

The main application covers a range of proposals to extend the current use of the site to include the construction, repair, refurbishment and decommissioning of all types of ships, vessels and other craft, and for the manufacture of wind turbines.

It also covers a variety of other works, including the construction and refurbishment of quays, the construction of a cofferdam - an enclosure beneath the water constructed to allow water to be displaced by air for a dry work environment - and new dock gates.

It also wants to install a railway track, construct metal recycling facilities and add new industrial and warehouse buildings.

There are three further applications: two relating specifically to alternative options for the installation of a cofferdam and an application for Hazardous Substances Consent.

In June, the borough council said it would not contest an appeal by Able over its refusal last year to grant the same permission.

An inquiry by the Planning Inspectorate is still scheduled for October.

Able chairman Peter Stephenson said: "Much attention has been concentrated on the issue of ship recycling. However, that is only one small element of the massive potential for the yard which, it should be remembered, began its life building ships in 1913 and, more recently, has been used for the successful construction and recycling of large oil platform structures.

"Our plans for the refurbishment of the dry dock and construction of the deep quays open up the possibilities of attracting a wide range of construction projects, which we have been actively negotiating with a number of clients."

Peter Tweddle, spokesman for Hartlepool and North Tees Friends of the Earth, said the group was disappointed that the applications were to be heard before the appeal.

He said: "Our feeling is that the whole thing has been manoeuvred so that the planning application will go through next week, and the appeal will be redundant.

"The council should be saying 'as the people of Hartlepool have said no, we were right to refuse this planning application in the first place and we should refuse it now'."

A public meeting attended by legal experts from Friends of the Earth is due to be held at the Grand Hotel, Swainston Street, Hartlepool, on Monday(October 1), starting at 11.30am.