Strong opposition to incinerator bid (From Banbury Cake)

Strong opposition to incinerator bid

1:30pm Tuesday 16th September 2008

Feelings ran high in Sutton Courtenay as hundreds of villagers gathered to voice objections to plans for a £1bn incinerator near their homes.

It was standing room only as more than 250 residents from Sutton Courtenay, Appleford and Drayton packed All Saints Church for an extraordinary parish council meeting last night.

And, in an unanimous vote, Sutton Courtenay Parish Council agreed to strongly object to the giant rubbish burning facility, capable of burning 300,000 tonnes of waste a year.

Waste Recycling Group, which owns the Sutton Courtenay landfill site, put in a planning application to build the incinerator on the site in July. The Spanish-owned firm is in competition for the county's incinerator contract with Viridor, which runs the other major landfill site in Oxfordshire, at Ardley.

Oxfordshire County Council will make the final decision on the bid early next year, following its own period of consultation.

Among residents' concerns were the impact the incinerator would have on roads, noise, potential health hazards, and the effect on rare newts living near the site.

Some called for direct action to halt the bid, while others suggested an expert critique of the plans and environmental impact assessment was the way forward.

Local MP Ed Vaizey pledged his support to protesters and residents quizzed their elected representatives from the county and district councils, Colin Lamont and Gervase Duffield, on the planning process.

Callum Mackenzie, 53, of Drayton Road, Sutton Courtenay, a member of Sutton Courtenay Action Group, said: "The anger about this proposal is so intense. People just can't believe it. We are continuing the fight and welcome any support that we can to fight this.

"You only have to walk between Sutton Courtenay and Didcot to see the landfill site, it's a disgusting, horrible mess.

"To think of doing this kind of thing without considering new technologies is unthinkable."

The group wants to galvanise the support of local legal and environmental experts in a bid to get the plans thrown out.

Michael Jenkins, the parish council's chairman, said: "We decided to strongly oppose the application. The decision was that we would request conditions for the site should that application be approved.

"I don't think its Nimbyism in Sutton Courtenay. Residents have been particularly tolerant of a lot of operation conditions over the years and they do have genuine concerns about the presence of an incinerator and the health issues.

He said: "I wouldn't be surprised if both the applications for the incinerator were approved because if they weren't, Oxfordshire County Council would be left with no solution to its problem."

Earlier this month, Didcot councillors backed the controversial plans for an incinerator on the town's doorstep. Didcot Town Council said it was keen to see a reduction in landfill and welcomed the possibility of a £1bn incinerator at Sutton Courtenay.

Mr Jenkins said: "Didcot Town Council is entitled to reach their own conclusion, but I feel disappointed that people in that area haven't been as well as informed of the main problems associated with incineration."