Shrewsbury incinerator appeal behind closed doors
Wednesday 8th December 2010, 11:29AM GMT.
Shropshire councillors will meet be- hind closed doors to decide their position over a possible appeal after plans for a £60 million incinerator on the outskirts of Shrewsbury were refused.
Members will meet s tomorrow to discuss a potential appeal by Veolia for the burner, which has been earmarked for Battlefield.
The council is understood to need to decide what support, if any, it will provide as part of the terms of its contact with the firm, which deals with the county’s waste.
The Shropshire Star understands councillors will be given several options to discuss at the meeting.
These include agreeing to support an appeal, although it will be liable for a large proportion of the costs; seeking agreement from Veolia not to go to appeal and agreeing a revised project plan; or terminating the contract altogether.
A planning application for the incinerator was rejected by the council’s strategic planning committee in September. But Veolia is considering an appeal against the decision.
The groups Safe Waste Shropshire and No Burners in Shropshire, which have campaigned against the controversial incinerator plans, today criticised the council for discussing the matter behind closed doors – despite it being of major public interest.
Nick Hall, from NOBIS, said: “Members of the press and the public will be excluded from attending this item.
” I feel that Shropshire Council is again hiding behind closed doors.”
Gareth Proffitt, spokesman for Shropshire Council, today said: “The item is exempt as the paper contains commercially sensitive and legally privileged information.”
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It appears that the objectors to the plant have not studied the full implications of not having the plant.This appears to be, “not in my back garden” mentality. The plant should be constructed.
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build it in your back garden then
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The plant has to burn around 90,000 tonnes a year to operate correctly. The council does collect enough residual waste to fill the plant but will have to pay almost the full cost anyway. The cost works out at £120/tonne for capacity that is used plus £108/tonne for capacity that is wasted.
The incinerator was supposed to save money but if fact is far more expensive than recycling or landfilling. Where the council to look at a small scale MBT plant it would cost less than £100/tonne and not require payments for the 20,000 tonnes of capacity that is not needed.
Shropshire is recycling around 50% of its waste. The best district council in England has just reached 70% recycling. Wales, scotland and surrey all have 70% targets.
By the way I live over an hours drive from the plant.
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Surely you mean the Council DONT collect enough rubbish to fill this thing up?
there own figures (follow the link) show its only landfilling 77,000 tonnes a year, so it will have to find and then pay for 13,000 tonnes minimum every year of someone elses rubbish
http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/waste.nsf/open/6A949208168403D2802577CE002C50C5
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you should also be aware that 90,000 tonnes is just an average, actually facilities like this could burn + or – 10,000 tonnes either side of this figure generally in the early years there will be less shut downs for maintenence etc so actually in the first few years it could burn 100,000 tonnes per annum or more, also beby then recyclign and waste minimisation will be even greater, so it could meaning shropshire taxpayers will have to fund more like 30,000 tonnes of rubbish per annum from ‘other’ sources such as veolias commercial waste contracts around the west midlands, this will means shropshire taxpayers paying veolia £120 per tonne for waste which they are already being paid to dispose of by others, its a licence to print money for veolia
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Sorry I did mean does not collect enough rubbish!
The contract require paying for a 90,000 tonne capacity even if they only have 60,000 tonnes. The rebate for not using the capacity is £12/tonne i.e 1/10 the amount they pay for it.
It will all be done behind closed doors as the officers can mislead the councillor better when people who found out the costs are banned.
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surely this deserves public scrutiny? it is public money after all!
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this is totally opposed by the public and has failed to get planning permission, surely any elected person who is voting to spend public money on this white elephant deserves to be named and shamed, i think its an afront to democracy that this could be decided behind closed doors
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the people who signed up to this contract should thank there luckly stars the planning system has given them an escape route, it would be madness to build this thing given the current economic climate and the massive reduction in waste which has taken place everywhere in the Uk in the last 5 years, i have read of some councils in the UK now landfilling 60-70% less waste than they did ten years ago, this is staggering and its only going to increase and landfill tax and improved awareness and technology drives improved levels of recycling
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This whole episode in the history of local democracy has been a complete stain on the democratic process, since veolia took over the level of service in shropshire has gone down the pan, its frankly rubbish, some one needs to get a grip on this and remind them that WE pay for this service, we pay their wages yet they treat us like dogs
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why would the council allow a company to appeal against its planning committees decision and then foot the bill for the appeal? Are these people stupd? this is taxpayers money, sounds like a LOSE, LOSE option for the council they pay for the companies appeal, then incur costs as a planning authority to defend the decision and then they have to pay to have the thing built and then pay to run it for years
Not good.
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Has Tesco decided whether the Council are going to approve it?
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tesco always get their way!! so will veolia, you watch, the council is soft it always caves in to big business on planning while poor little old ladies get fined for putting up a conservatory or satellite dish in the wrong place
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Controversial!!
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have they read the note from liam byrne?
There is NO MONEY LEFT!!
why are they still planning new buildings, new services etc when there is no way of paying for them in tmahe future
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these people lack business acumen, they should be sacked for taking the council into this costly contract, the council should be run by business people who understand profit and loss
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this certainly sounds like a terrible deal for the local taxpayer, more expense, there is an incinerator in stoke which is BEGGING for extra rubbish at the moment because stoke council get fined if they dont produce enough rubbish to “feed the hungry beast”.
Hello! anyone at shropshire council ever heard of working in partnership with your neighbours!!!
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Stalin would have been proud of our councillors.
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