Inquiry: Shrewsbury incinerator not 'renewable energy'

A proposed £60 million incinerator in Shrewsbury should not be classified as a renewable energy scheme, a planning inquiry has heard.

Keith Kondakor, a witness appearing on behalf of Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth, told the hearing the planned Energy from Waste facility in Battlefield Enterprise Park could not be considered environmentally-friendly enough to justify its construction.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Kondakor said: "There is a clear difference between renewable energy as part of a project and something being a renewable scheme.

"A good example would be a coal-powered station where you stick a solar panel on the side – that doesn't make the whole scheme a renewable energy scheme."

His comments follow Mark Walton, an associate director of town planning consultancy Alliance Planning, agreeing to amend part of his evidence at the hearing last week to admit part of the plant could be considered as renewable.

After several hours of cross-examination from waste firm Veolia's lawyer Rhodri Price Lewis, Mr Walton agreed to change part of his evidence to accept that the biomass element of the proposed incinerator could be classified as producing renewable energy.

In his evidence Mr Kondakor also claimed that the incinerator was not needed in Shropshire, due to the high number of burners already in operation in the West Midlands.

He added that bringing it into use could also damage attempts to reach higher recycling targets as more rubbish would be burnt than re-used.

"Shropshire has not enough waste for this incinerator. As a result if approved, this incinerator will damage options for sustainable waste management," he added.

A final decision on whether the plant can be given the go-ahead is scheduled to be made by planning inspector John Woolcock in mid-December.

By Chris Burn