Calls for a delay in decision on county incinerator
BOROUGH chiefs in Cheltenham have called for a delay in the decision about whether or not a £500 million waste incinerator will be built in the county.
The Lib Dem executive wants Shire Hall to pause its plans for an electricity-generating burner at Javelin Park, just off the M5, junction 12.
They said the Conservative-backed plans should be halted while a long-term strategy for Gloucestershire's rubbish disposal was drawn up.
The Lib Dems also said the county might not produce enough waste to keep the plant going and there should be further studies into the health impact of burning waste. A planning inspector is yet to issue a binding report into the draft Waste Core Strategy (WCS).
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The proposed incinerator would deal with waste left after all recyclable material is taken out, but its opponents claim the ash produced would be toxic.
Borough sustainability chief Councillor Roger Whyborn (LD, Up Hatherley) made the plea in a letter to the county's planning committee.
He said: "The WCS is fundamental to the determination of this application.
"It is the only method to consider the adequacy of the strategic approach to waste and the respective merits of the strategic sites included for dealing with residual waste.
"It is premature to consider granting permission to the proposal until the inspector has created the context for determination."
The delay to the county's Waste Core Strategy has added uncertainty to the timetable for the incinerator development, so it is not known when the county council's planning committee, which handles all waste disposal matters, will make a final decision.
The borough council is also concerned the amount of waste generated might not be enough to keep the plant operating.
If that was the case, the county would have to import waste from outside the area.
In addition to this, there are worries that the county council has not carried out a robust assessment of the environmental impact of the proposal.
Mr Whyborn said other methods for waste disposal, including biological and thermal treatments, should be explored.
A spokeswoman for GCC said: "As part of the planning process we will consider all comments carefully.
"We're grateful the Cheltenham Borough Council has taken the time to debate this application.
"We will take their feedback into consideration when determining the application."
Comments
by Bonkim2003
Sunday, June 03 2012, 3:48PM
“"halted while a long-term strategy for Gloucestershire's rubbish disposal was drawn up." Bartonite - this charade has been going from before 2005when Labour was looking for a waste to energy solution.
Seriously the recycling collections particularly green, and food waste collections are a farce - any sensible ecologist should be able to carry out a chemical and financial balance to demostrate that the collection cost of some of the recycled materials are way out of proportion to the landfill tax saved, and also environmentally unproductive - if anything increasing the life time carbon footprint. The council taxpayers have been brainwashed into the recycling dogma to numb them from the pain - waste officers used to boast about their recycling rates - and now the recycling rates don't mean much as LATS have been suspended and the coalition Government encouraging councils to simplify collections.
Collection costs can be halved if unproductive recycling is stopped and a weekly general collection brought back together with a waste to energy plant that will help reduce fossil fuels in the heat and electricity produced.
Out county councillors and waste officers can only be called dumbos for adopting the principle of recycling at high cost and then sending the remainder to the WEF - in the Cllr Whyborn has a point - but the most cost and environmentally effective process - collect everything weekly together - install a mechanised material sorting facility to take out the high value items - and send the rest to a WEF to generate electricity and heat.
Those screaming toxic ash, etc, please look up the considerable research data on the subject before venting unfounded myths. If WEF is to be banned - shut down all the industrial processes, metal smelting, gas fired power stations, motor cars, diesels, landfill site, etc, etc, etc, shut shop and retire to outer space.”
by Bartonite
Saturday, June 02 2012, 12:38PM
“Which is fair enough, Lecorche. And I equivocate on the incinerator proposal because I believe the 'opposition' on the county council could have tried harder to support the other options, and didn't because, just like Labour in Bristol, they saw incineration as the only realistic option, but still wanted to heap all the responsibility on the Tories.”
by Lecorche
Saturday, June 02 2012, 8:59AM
“@ Bartonite.
I oppose this Incinerator because it's the only option being presented.
It's a terribly poorly planned option even then.
As you say,it's Politics and Money first and Democracy is a non-runner.”
by Bartonite
Saturday, June 02 2012, 1:48AM
“Seems to me that the discussion about the best solution to the residual waste problem has been going on for the best part of five years, perhaps longer. And in all that time, people, including myself, have been calling on opponents of incineration to provide a better solution. Borough chiefs have been as quiet as opposition councillors on that front, though, so why should this be seen as anything more than another stalling tactic which won't end in a different answer? Environment second, political capital first.”
by Coingrass
Friday, June 01 2012, 9:33PM
“How much?! £500,000,000!!! Blimey, somebody's got money to burn. Where's it coming from and how's it going to be paid back? Another PFI scheme I suppose. Keep it off the government debt books and let the next generation pay for it.”
by Star600
Friday, June 01 2012, 9:11PM
“Well said Lisbeth2010...the whole idea of an incinerator should have been shelved ages ago!”
by Lisbeth2010
Friday, June 01 2012, 6:00PM
“At last someone is speaking out concerning yet again the waste of public money, to build a huge
incinerator in the middle of the county. There is not a proven need for this type of process, it will not be sustainable as all the waste will have to be transported to this site, which can be seen from all the AONB's around the County.
Also there is no mention that the highly toxic incinerator ash will be transported back across the County to Cheltenham to go in the Wingmoor Farm Landfill Site.”