Gloucester set for city centre incinerator?

A WASTE incinerator could be built in the centre of Gloucester, it was revealed last night.

Aggregate firm Allstone Ltd has put forward its site in the Barnwood Railway Triangle as a possible location for waste disposal.

A leaked document seen by The Citizen reveals the firm, based in Myers Road, has offered its site to be included in Gloucestershire County Council's waste strategy.

The authority is in the process of drawing up the strategy to detail with how the county will deal with waste disposal in the future.

If the Allstone site is accepted, the land will be earmarked for a waste processor – which could include an incinerator.

The 13.5-acre site, part of the 47-acre Barnwood railway triangle, is just yards from houses.

According to a report prepared for Gloucester City Council, which has been obtained by The Citizen, waste planners would find it difficult to stop an incinerator being installed at the site.

The report states: "In principle, the waste planners would struggle to argue against an incinerator in an urban location due to the latest air quality requirements.

"There are several examples of incinerators operating in urban areas."

The report suggests encouraging Allstone to move to a new site to the north of the railway triangle, further from any houses, and with access from the main road network.

The current site would see deliveries access the site through residential streets.

The report concludes: "In summary, it seems very unlikely that we are going to be able to move Allstone out of the city, and may have to live with them for the foreseeable future in this locality."

Coun Jeremy Hilton (Lib Dem, Kingsholm) represents the area on Gloucestershire County Council.

He said: "If we are talking about a waste incinerator, I would be opposed to it whether it was here, or in Hempsted which is the other site that could be chosen."

He believed the county council had chosen Javelin Park outside Quedgeley for an incinerator, and was concerned if the same was planned for the Allstone site.

The county council has stressed no decision has been made on an incinerator at Javelin Park.

City MP Parmjit Dhanda also expressed concern over the proposals.

He said: "This will come as a nasty shock to residents of Barnwood, Kingsholm, Elmbridge, Barton and the city centre.

"The two councils should rule out incineration as an option and use alternative methods such as anaerobic digestion instead. The best thing councillors could do is scrap the idea of incineration here and now."

Gloucester City Council declined to comment on the story.

Mark Hawthorne, the county council cabinet member for planning, regeneration and communications, said: "The county council is responsible for planning permission for waste sites and mineral quarries in Gloucestershire.

"We are required to update our waste local plan which sets out where waste sites can be built.

"As part of that process last summer we asked all landowners to give us an indication if there were any sites they would like to be considered in future.

"This is a long process and formal applications and consultation won't be for some time.

"It is also totally separate from the county council's residual waste plans, which aims to cut waste going to landfill.

"There is nothing to stop landowners making any proposals that they want to – this does not, in any way, mean that they will get planning permission."

A spokesman for Allstone said: "We are looking at all different options at the moment for developing the site, some of which are waste related.

"But, due to the economic climate we have to remain flexible on what the final uses will be – just like any other business.

"We are always open to working with the council and local residents."