CONCERN continues for residents of Westbury as photomontage images of the proposed ATT waste plant show ‘a construction that dominates the town and surrounding landscape’.
Photomontage images, direct from the online planning application from Hill’s Waste Solutions (Northacre Renewable Energy), show how the proposed development would look from a number of locations around the town, created by the company’s own agents ‘Design With Nature’.
Members of the Westbury Gasification Action Group (WGAG) have expressed their concerns that the plant – which has been compared to exceeding the height of the Titanic, will be blocking the landscape. As the deadline of the public consultation approaches, with comments due by Friday 16th November, members of WGAG are encouraging all residents to make their comments either online via the Wiltshire Council planning portal using the number 18/09473/WCM or by writing to Andrew Guest, Development Services, Wiltshire Council, BA14 8JN.
Dan Gmaj, from WGAG said, “The Proposed ATT (advanced thermal treatment) waste plant for Westbury continues to cause concern as photomontage pictures from the application itself clearly show a construction that dominates the town and surrounding landscape.
“When the public consultation closes, the burden of decision moves to the strategic planning committee. I hope that the voting members at County Hall will see that, with a building height 4 metres higher than the Titanic and the chimney reaching a massive 22 metres above that, that it is quite simply, an inappropriate use of land in terms of size and density of buildings proposed.
“NRE/Hills have not, as they have claimed, sufficiently addressed the concerns that led to the last refusal. Indeed the new application shows that both buildings and chimney are higher, and that much additional structure is now proposed to the 2015 proposal.
“In short, this is an ‘Industrial Cathedral of Waste’ utilising untested and potentially dangerous technology that our MP Dr Andrew Murrison has already opposed citing the ‘Precautionary Principle’.
“I hope that the fear of any appeal costs to Wiltshire Council will allay with public support growing to stop this inappropriate private structure and that members will vote to refuse permission for the new proposal, as they correctly did for the last ione n July of this year.
“We thank them for their due consideration of this matter to protect and enhance the visual amenity of the landscape in accordance with policy 51 of the core strategy. Meanwhile, it is essential that the public make their feelings known and submit their comments before the deadline.”
The Westbury Gasification Action group, with 844 members on their Facebook page at the time of print, would like to hear from you if you wish to get involved at: westburygag@gmail .com
