NORTHACRE Renewable Energy’s application to dig an underground grid connection from Westbury to Frome, to power their proposed Advanced Thermal Treatment (ATT) plant will be discussed by Wiltshire Council this week.
The strategic planning committee will meet at Council Offices, Monkton Park, Chippenham SN15 1ER on Thursday 20th June at 2.30pm to decide whether Northacre’s application should be granted planning permission.
Members of the public are invited to the meeting. Westbury Gasification Action group are encouraging as many people as possible to attend.
The underground grid connection would see an 11-kilometre trench constructed to carry an electricity cable from the proposed ATT site at Northacre Trading Estate to the Southern Electric Power Distribution substation in Frome; the nearest suitable connection point to the national grid.
However, members of Westbury Gasification Action Group (WGAG) and town councillors of Westbury are concerned that this route could potentially impact surrounding archaeological and ecological sites including Biss Brook.
Northacre Renewable Energy were granted planning permission for their ATT Plant back in January this year following the company’s previously refused application last July.
However, both applications are still ‘live’, with the company appealing the refused decision while the granted application has been requested for ‘call in’ by the Secretary of State.
If the application is called in, it’s likely that both applications will be determined by public inquiry in September.
However, a third application, submitted back in 2015, was granted planning permission and is still viable to use, despite the company claiming that it uses out-of-date technologies.
In regards to the requested ‘call in’, Andrew Murrison MP said, “I have spoken with Jake Berry MP the planning minister under James Brokenshire who is aware of the Westbury incinerator plans. I have gone through with him the issues we have relating to public health, the environment, traffic through the town and air pollution. I am expecting a decision shortly on whether he will “call in” the application as I have requested.”
