Sutton Courtenay & Ardley incinerator proposals turned down by County Council Planning Committee (Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats)

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Sutton Courtenay & Ardley incinerator proposals turned down by County Council Planning Committee

October 20, 2009 10:30 AM
Originally published by Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats

Planning application from two waste companies to build an Energy-from-Waste plant close to Sutton Courtenay and Ardley villages has been refused by Oxfordshire county council's planning committee, on Monday.

Councillor Alan Armitage, who proposed the motion to reject the Sutton Courtenay scheme, proposed by WRG, said: "The incinerator would have been a dominant feature in the landscape for miles around, despite policies to return this area to landscaped open countryside. Also, the plan to construct a hazardous waste pit on site, just 500 yards from many houses and on the edge of the Thames floodplane, seemed to me to be sheer madness."

At the same meeting, a proposal for an incinerator near Ardley was also rejected. Last month, a decision by the county council's cabinet had selected Viridor, who put in the Ardley proposal, as preferred supplier following a competitive tender process which started in 2004.

It is open to both Viridor and WRG to appeal to the Secretary of State against these decisions. However in view of the cabinet's decision, it is hoped that WRG will not do so. An appeal by Viridor would probably lead to a public inquiry before a Government-appointed planning inspector, with unpredictable results.

Said Cllr Armitage: "The county's waste management strategy is in tatters. Whatever else happens, the council will end up having to pay much more in landfill taxes in the medium term, which will aggravate budget pressures that we already know about. I hope that this will have a positive effect in getting local authorities in Oxfordshire to recycle more waste sooner. South Oxfordshire District Council introduced a food-waste collection this year, and has claimed 70% of domestic waste in their area is now being recycled. If this were replicated in the city and in the other districts over the next couple of years, we might even find that we don't need such a large incinerator after all."

Added Cllr Jenny Hannaby, who seconded the motion to refuse the Sutton Courtenay application: "Besides agreeing with Alan on the main issues with this application, I have major concerns about traffic along the main roads in that part of the county. Didcot is due to grow massively in the next decade, and I'm far from convinced that the infrastructure will be able to cope."