Friends of the Earth fight to get waste plant plans revoked

Friends of the Earth are continuing their fight to stop the gasification plant in Westbury.

The group is working to get Wiltshire Council to revoke its decision to grant permission for the building of an ATT gasification plant on the Northacre Industrial Park in Westbury. 

Stephen Eades, a member of the Wiltshire and North Wiltshire Friends of the Earth presented evidence to the cabinet of Wiltshire Council on Tuesday 7th January, saying it explained in ‘clear and simple’ terms why the council should reverse its decision. He says his views were ignored by Wiltshire Council but said Friends of the Earth will fight on.

“Wiltshire Council is still ignoring the views of a very substantial and widespread body of local opinion in the Westbury area that an incinerator will be seriously damaging to people’s health,” said Stephen Eades.

“The shame for the council lies not in that it made the wrong planning decision last year.  Rather, the council’s shame lies in its decision to continue to deny the evidence behind that wrong decision.  It is time for the council to think again.  The council has today once again turned down that opportunity, but many in Westbury and throughout Wiltshire are still waiting for the right decision to be made.”

Wiltshire and North Wiltshire Friends of the Earth say their campaigning  “followed an earlier exchange of communications in November last year between Mr. Eades and cllr Philip Whitehead, leader of Wiltshire Council, in which Mr. Eades called upon the council to reverse the January 2019 planning consent.  Cllr Whitehead replied to Mr. Eades that this was not possible, a position which cllr. Whitehead has now re-affirmed on behalf of the council’s cabinet.

 “At the time of the planning consent in 2019, which over-turned an earlier decision by Wiltshire Council in July 2018 to refuse planning consent for the ATT gasification incinerator, a large number of people from Westbury and the surrounding area expressed their belief on both occasions to Wiltshire Council (July 2018 and January 2019) that consent should not be granted, and this viewpoint was similarly supported by Westbury Town Council and neighbouring parish councils.  In January 2019, Wiltshire Council chose to ignore these views and granted consent.”