Good to see MP weighing into burner debate

AT last, Neil Carmichael has nailed his colours to the mast over the proposed incinerator at Javelin Park.

Love it or hate it, it was high time our MP told us which way he swung in the mass burner debate.

As it is, he opposes the current plans. You have to admire his courage in going against the Tory Party line put out by the Shire Hall leadership.

Mr Carmichael, whose critics often accuse him of putting the Westminster policymakers before his constituents, has taken much of the ground swell of opposition to the £500million waste disposal project on board.

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And he seems to have reached a sensible compromise position.

Rather than saying an outright 'no' to what appears to be a fait accompli he has suggested three conditions which may get many of the anti-incinerator lobby on board.

■ Reduce the visual impact of the site. Essentially, he is suggesting that the plant does not have to be as big as planned.

■ Put restrictions on lorry movements through our towns and villages. That's saying make sure all wagons reach the site from the nearby M5 junction.

■ Get reassurances about the safety of emissions from the chimney stack. This has got to be the most important concern.

Whether these suggestions are acceptable to both the county council and the activists of GlosVAIN is yet to be seen. So is their effect on the county's planning committee.

One thing is for sure, the mass burner debate is not over by a long chalk.