Cory (company) explained

Cory
Type:Private
Foundation:1896
Location:London, UK
Key People:Dougie Sutherland, (CEO)
Industry:Waste management
Revenue:£141.4 million (2021)
Num Employees:400+
Parent:Cory Group
Homepage:Cory

Cory is a recycling and waste management company based in London. Originally founded as William Cory & Son in 1896, the company has operated vessels on the River Thames for more than 125 years, transporting a range of commodities and materials including coal, oil, aggregates and waste. Ships from Cory's fleet supported Britain's war efforts in both world wars, with 30 ships being lost during the conflicts. From the 1980s onwards, the business has become increasingly focused on waste management.

Locations and operations

Cory's site footprint spans the length of the Thames from Wandsworth in the west to Gravesend in the east.[1] The company operates:

In 2020, Cory received planning permission to build another EfW facility adjacent to the existing one in Belvedere.[3] The company is also developing a district heat network at Belvedere with Vattenfall.[4]

In 2021, Cory announced plans for one of Europe's largest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facilities in Belvedere,[5] with a planning application for the facility following in late 2023.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] The proposed development was expected to take up to 11.7% of the 25.5 hectares of land at the adjacent Crossness Nature Reserve. A campaign group and petition was established in December 2023 to oppose the development.[15] [16] The petition generated 2,790 signatures. In June 2024, the campaign group sought to raise £8000 to fight the plans.[17]

History

Coal and refuse

The company was founded in London in 1896 as William Cory and Son Ltd.[18] Cory was formed from the merger of eight companies in the coal trade and had a comprehensive business in transporting and supplying five million tonnes of coal per year to trade and domestic customers in London.[18] Cory had a fleet of 2,500 railway wagons and also operated lighters on the River Thames.[18] Rather than operate its lighters unladen on their return journeys from delivering coal, Cory used them to carry refuse from London to be dumped in the marshlands of Essex and Kent.[18]

After the turn of the 20th century, Cory started to provide social housing for some of its workforce.[19]

Cory ships had brown upper works above hull level.[20] The funnel was black with a broad white band, and a large black diamond on the white band.[20] [21] The house flag was red with a large white or cream diamond in the middle.[21]

First World War

In World War I Cory mobilised as D Company, 6th Battalion of The Buffs (commonly known as Cory's Unit) and many died fighting in France.[27] It also mobilised its boats in support of the war effort, losing 17 ships during the war:

During the war Cory bought R. and J.H. Rea, which both expanded its tug, barge and coastal collier fleets but also gave Cory a presence in the ports of Bristol and Southampton.[19] After the war Cory expanded further; buying the Mercantile Lighterage Company in 1920, followed by Mellonie and Goulder of Ipswich and several other companies in 1928.[19]

Second World War

In the Second World War fuel supplies were vital to the war effort.[50] Cory colliers sailed in coastal convoys and 13 of them were lost.[50]

Cory since 1945

The Second World War was not the end of Cory's losses at sea.

After the war, Cory began mining the stone needed for aggregates to rebuild parts of London and putting them on empty barges. The holes left in the ground became landfills in Erith and East Tilbury. This was the start of Cory's transition from moving fuel to transporting waste and building materials.

During the post-war period, Cory also began transporting fuel oil as well as coal following the introduction of the Clean Air Act in 1956. By the 1950s Cory was transporting and supplying fuel oil as well as coal.[50] In 1956 Cory started to develop a fleet of barges designed specifically to carry refuse rather than coal.[19] Cory had its own barge-building yard, which produced more than 400 such vessels between 1962 and 1972.[50] Oil-fired central heating grew in popularity such that by 1972 Cory was supplying 216e6impgal per year to domestic customers.[50]

In the 1960s and 1970s William Cory was operating general and refrigerated road haulage out of Palmers Wharf, Deptford. The colours were white with the black lozenge. Later on it was taken over by Ocean and renamed McGregor Cory Cargo Services and the vehicles became red. They gradually got involved with the emerging container traffic and worked for OCL who were taking over refrigerated imports from New Zealand and Australia. As containers were mostly arriving in Tilbury docks, MCCS moved to Thurrock and Barking, Essex. This was the final end of the link with Deptford.

In 1972 Ocean Group plc bought Cory,[50] which then acquired Surridge, which owned Mucking Marshes Landfill, then the second-largest landfill site in the UK. In 1979 Cory bought Thames and General Lighterage, making Cory the largest waste carrier on the Thames.[50] In the 1980s Cory withdrew from coal and oil distribution to concentrate on waste transport and disposal.[65] In 1981 two Cory group companies were merged to form Cory Waste Management.[65] It won a tender to transport and dispose of half a million tonnes of waste a year for the Greater London Council. This saw the launch of the containerised waste transportation business that operates today. Cory Environmental Municipal Services Ltd was formed in 1989 and the two companies were merged as Cory Environmental in 1990.[65] At this stage, London was producing 29 million tonnes of waste per year and disposing only 400,000 tonnes of it within its own boundaries. By the late 1990s, Mucking landfill site was receiving 1.5 million tonnes of London's waste.

In 1997 Cory Environmental grew by buying Local Authority Waste Disposal Companies from Essex County Council and Gloucestershire County Council. In 1999 Cory bought Parkhill Reclamation, increasing Cory's presence in the West Midlands and North West England.[65] Since 2000, Cory's operations have focused on waste management. It signed a long-term contract with London's Western Riverside Waste Authority in 2002, which included the development of an 84,000 tonnes-per-annum materials recycling facility in Wandsworth.

In 2000 Ocean Group plc merged with NFC plc to form Exel plc, which in 2005 sold Cory Environmental to Montagu Private Equity.[66] In March 2007 Montagu sold Cory to a consortium of investors consisting of ABN Amro Global Infrastructure Fund, Finpro SGPS and Santander Private Equity.[66]

In 2010, Mucking stopped receiving London's waste and was later reclaimed for community and environmental use to create the Thurrock Thameside Nature Discovery Park.

In 2012, Cory Environmental was awarded an eight-year contract to provide the waste collection services throughout the county of Cornwall, and opened the Riverside 1 energy from waste (EfW) facility, one of the UK's largest EfW facilities, in Belvedere, Kent. In 2020, Cory secured planning permission to develop the Riverside Energy Park.

In June 2015, it was announced that Biffa had bought the Cory waste collection business, Cory Environmental Municipal Services Limited, for £13.5 million. In 2016, the company was rebranded as Cory Riverside Energy. In 2017, the business completed a major restructure and refinance, having sold its collections, waste brokerage and landfill businesses, and in 2021 it was rebranded simply as Cory.[67]

See also

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What we do . 2022-08-24 . Cory Group . en-GB.
  2. Web site: Cory Group – recyclable and non-recyclable waste management services across London . 2022-08-24 . Cory Group . en-GB.
  3. Web site: Riverside Energy Park National Infrastructure Planning . 2022-08-24 . infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk.
  4. Web site: 2021-05-27 . In the pipeline: networks to warm UK homes using surplus heat . 2022-08-24 . the Guardian . en.
  5. Holder, Michael (16 November 2021),'World's largest': Cory plots carbon capture system for Thames waste-to-energy plant, Business Green. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  6. https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010128/documents Cory Decarbonisation Project - Documents
  7. Brown, Eric (9 October 2023), Wild Things: Crossness Nature Reserve plan must be stopped News Shopper. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  8. Roberts, Alice (26 October 2023), New threat to key London nature reserve, CPRE. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  9. Coughlan, Joe (9 November 2023), Residents 'hugely worried' over contamination at nature reserve from new carbon capture plants. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  10. Coughlan, Joe (9 November 2023), Campaigners fight plans for carbon capture plants at Crossness incinerators Greenwich Wire. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  11. Coughlan, Joe (9 November 2023), South London residents 'furious' at plans to build on nature reserve rich with wildlife MyLondon. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  12. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67369677 Bexley: Carbon capture plant raises concerns about wildlife
  13. Coughlan, Joe (15 November 2023), Bexley ‘furious’ at plans for carbon capture plants on nature reserve News Shopper. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  14. Brown, Eric (3 December 2023), Wild Things: Wildlife facing an uncertain future News Shopper. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  15. Haynes, Syd (8 December 2023), Nature campaign group opposes Cory’s carbon capture plans Let's Recycle. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  16. https://www.savecrossnessnaturereserve.org/ Save Crossness Nature Reserve
  17. News: Coughlan . Joe . Campaigners appeal for £8,000 to fight plan to build on Crossness Nature Reserve . 7 June 2024 . Greenwich Wire . 6 June 2024.
  18. Web site: History - Page 1 . 2011 . Cory Environmental . 24 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720050353/http://www.coryenvironmental.co.uk/page/history.htm . 20 July 2011 . dead .
  19. Web site: History - Page 2 . 2011 . Cory Environmental . 24 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720053615/http://www.coryenvironmental.co.uk/page/history2.htm . 20 July 2011 . dead .
  20. Talbot-Booth, 1942, page 611
  21. Harnack, 1938, plate 30, between pages 612–613
  22. Web site: SS Heston (+1902) . Vleeggert . Nico . 24 August 2010 . WreckSite . . 25 June 2011.
  23. Web site: SS Caenwood (+1905) . Chipchase . Nick . 19 May 2010 . WreckSite . . 24 June 2011.
  24. Web site: SS F.T. Barry (+1905) . Allen . Tony . 11 November 2010 . WreckSite . . 25 June 2011.
  25. Web site: SS Nellie Wise (+1908) . Lockett . Graham . 8 June 2011 . WreckSite . . 25 June 2011.
  26. Web site: SS Wm. Cory (+1910) . Chipchase . Nick . 19 May 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  27. Web site: Cory celebrates 125th anniversary on the River Thames . 2022-08-24 . Cory Group . en-GB.
  28. Web site: SS Deptford [+1915] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 15 December 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  29. Web site: SS Hadley [+1915] ]. Allen . Tony . 29 November 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  30. Web site: SS Denewood [+1916] ]. Lettens . Jan . Allen . Tony . 18 August 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  31. Web site: SS Brentwood [+1917] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 15 September 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  32. Web site: SS Hurstwood [+1917] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 4 February 2011 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  33. Web site: SS Harberton [+1917] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 20 February 2011 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  34. Web site: SS Sir Francis [+1917] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 15 September 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  35. Web site: Sir Francis . Helgason . Guðmundur . 1995–2011 . Ships hit during WWI . Guðmundur Helgason . 25 June 2011.
  36. Web site: Vernon . Helgason . Guðmundur . 1995–2011 . Ships hit during WWI . Guðmundur Helgason . 24 June 2011.
  37. Web site: SS Vernon [+1917] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 23 October 2009 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  38. Web site: SS Hockwold [+1917] ]. Lettens . Jan . Vleggeert . Nico . 30 August 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  39. Web site: The Sinking of the SS Hockwold . History . Hockwold-cum-Wilton . 25 June 2011.
  40. Web site: SS Harrow [+1917] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 25 October 2009 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  41. Web site: SS Ocean [+1917] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 25 February 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  42. Web site: SS Highgate [+1917] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 25 February 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  43. Web site: SS Corland [+1942] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 13 October 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  44. Web site: SS Corsham [+1918] ]. Allen . Tony . Racey . Carl . 13 October 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  45. Web site: SS Crayford [+1918] ]. Allen . Tony . Lettens . Jan . 20 March 2011 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  46. Web site: Crayford . Helgason . Guðmundur . 1995–2011 . Ships hit during WWI . Guðmundur Helgason . 25 June 2011.
  47. Web site: SS Lady Cory-Wright [+1918] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 9 February 2011 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  48. Web site: RFA Lady Cory Wright. White. Christopher J. Robinson. Peter. 2008–2011. Historical RFA. https://web.archive.org/web/20120610220330/http://www.historicalrfa.org/rfa-lady-cory-wright. 10 June 2012. 25 June 2011.
  49. Web site: Lady Cory-Wright . Helgason . Guðmundur . 1995–2011 . Ships hit during WWI . Guðmundur Helgason . 25 June 2011.
  50. Web site: History - Page 3 . 2011 . Cory Environmental . 24 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720053649/http://www.coryenvironmental.co.uk/page/history3.htm . 20 July 2011 . dead .
  51. Web site: SS Corhaven [+1940] ]. Lettens . Jan . Allen . Tony . 25 July 2009 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  52. Web site: SS Corbrook [+1940] ]. Lettens . Jan . 12 October 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  53. Web site: SS Corheath [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 25 July 2009 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  54. Web site: SS Corduff [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . Vleggeert . Nico . 19 July 2009 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  55. Web site: SS Cordene [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . 6 April 2011 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 25 June 2011.
  56. Web site: Ships built by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company Ltd: arranged by date of launch . Anderson . James B . Sommerville . Iain . 2008 . Welcome to Burntisland . Iain Sommerville . 24 June 2011.
  57. Web site: HMS Corfield [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . Vleggeert . Nico . 19 July 2009 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  58. Web site: SS Corhampton [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 12 December 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  59. Web site: SS Cormarsh [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . Vleggeert . Nico . 30 April 2008 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  60. Web site: SS Cormead [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . 25 December 2010. WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  61. Web site: SS Corfen [+1942] ]. Lettens . Jan . 2 January 2009 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  62. Web site: SS Corheath [+1941] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 12 December 2010 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 12 December 2010.
  63. Web site: SS Corcrest [+1949] ]. Lettens . Jan . Allen . Tony . 24 June 2011 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  64. Web site: SS Corchester [+1956] ]. Lettens . Jan . Racey . Carl . 19 February 2011 . WreckSite . wrecksite.eu . 24 June 2011.
  65. Web site: History - Page 4 . 2011 . Cory Environmental . 24 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720053649/http://www.coryenvironmental.co.uk/page/history3.htm . 20 July 2011 . dead .
  66. Web site: History - Page 5 . 2011 . Cory Environmental . 24 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720053649/http://www.coryenvironmental.co.uk/page/history3.htm . 20 July 2011 . dead .
  67. Web site: Our History . Cory Group . 26 October 2021.