Council calls for Prime Minister’s help in “one last push” against incinerator plans

WESTBURY councillors have written to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in “one last push” to prevent the controversial waste incinerator plan going ahead in Westbury. 

Town councillors submitted a nine-page response to the  consultation on the Environment Agency’s impact assessment, which  ended on Sunday 21st February. Local MP, Andrew Murrison, has also sent his objections to the Environment Agency (EA).

In their letter to the Prime Minister, Westbury Town councillors wrote, “We would suggest that a direct intervention to stop this plant would make a very clear public demonstration of your real support for true green industries over spurious pseudo-green carbon and pollutant spewing technology of yesteryear excused by doubtful manipulative maths.

“We are sure that you would have the strong support of our local MP, Dr Andrew Murrison, who has repeatedly stated his complete opposition to the project. It would also be an opportunity to show your support for the wishes of a small community which will otherwise have this plant placed in a very inappropriate location close to the heart of town.

“We would also draw your attention to the large number of lorries delivering waste to this plant particularly as Westbury has no appropriate road access and is the only settlement of any size that has the primary A350 running through its centre, with a resultant long-standing air quality management zone that is highly anomalous in otherwise relatively clean, rural Wiltshire.”

They further wrote, “Westbury Town Council now ask you for one more push against the proposed development by calling it in as a matter of urgency to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and  Local Government, Robert Jenrick.”

If the Secretary of State decides to “call in” a planning application, an inspector is appointed to carry out an inquiry into the proposal. The Secretary of State has to take the inspector’s findings into account when making the decision.

Town councillors discussed their response to the EA consultation at a meeting held last month.