THE long-awaited decision on whether a waste incinerator can be built in Westbury looks likely to be decided in the next few weeks.
The decision will be made by Wiltshire councillors at a meeting of their strategic planning committee, with their upcoming meetings scheduled for 2nd June, 22nd June and 14th July.
A Wiltshire councillor said they had not yet been informed of future agendas. The decision on the controversial application, which was originally due to take place last year, was extended to allow more consultation and then postponed until after the local elections. It is understood that Wiltshire Council is considering comments from local dairy company, Arla, who are based next to the planned waste incinerator.
Marie Hillcoat and Nadia Evans from the local group WGAG/NWI, who have led a campaign against the proposals said, “Arla, who employ 250 people in the town, and are the UK’s largest producer of dairy products, has objected to the planning application by NREL/Hills Waste to build an incinerator literally on its doorstep.
“We all know Arla, we know Anchor Butter. It features a picture of Westbury White Horse! They are proud to be associated with the town and the image of the horse on the escarpment.
“Arla Foods started operating in Westbury in 2002, processing fresh milk from local dairy farmers. It is the biggest butter producer in the country. Their factory needs constant access to large volumes of clean air. This is critical to maintaining the high quality of their products and to their reputation.
“For the public at large any plan involving dealing with waste, especially an incinerator next to a food processing factory may seem odd. NREL/Hills Waste have submitted different plans since 2015 to build first a gasification plant and now a conventional moving grate incinerator. As the plans submitted by Hills got bigger and dirtier, the alarm bells have got louder. The latest plan is for an incinerator that is 50% bigger and which uses ‘old’ technology. It would produce large amounts of residues, some toxic. This toxic waste classed as ‘hazardous’ would be transported to a specialist landfill site.
“Does this seem fair to Arla, to the town? Bear in mind that Arla was in Westbury first, before Hills Waste acquired the site next door. That site was allocated by Wiltshire Council for waste management – not for an incinerator. There was even going to be a Household Waste Recycling Centre there – a far cry from an incinerator.
“To quote from Arla’s own press release in March:
“‘It is worth noting that these matters are set out clearly in the Council’s adopted Waste Site Allocations Plan. This document allocates the site for waste uses, but these do not include energy from waste incineration and specifically requires any application to address fully the impacts such as odour and bioaerosols, noting the particular sensitivity of Arla Foods, Westbury, and stating at page 64 that: “Any new facilities must not prejudice the existing industrial and commercial units (including the dairy) already permitted within the site boundary.”’
“Arla might have to leave Westbury. This would mean massive loss of jobs and adverse impact on dairy farmers.
“Where does that leave the lungs of residents of Westbury and surrounding villages? Gasping for air!
“Westbury has been gasping for air since 2001 when the town was declared an AQMA (Air Quality Management Area). Add to that the increase in traffic after Cumberland Bridge in Bath was closed and again more lorries after Bath Clean Air was introduced. That’s all before any HGVs that would transport even more waste to the town – 243,000 tonnes of it a year.
“The plans by Hills Waste/NREL to build an incinerator is a merchant venture – a private undertaking. They withdrew from a contract called Contract for Difference which would guarantee a certain price for electricity generated by what was then planned as a gasification plant. Now with this plan mainly (about 80%) commercial and industrial waste would be brought in to process and burn.
“Why is this wrong? Because there are 8 incinerators within 2 hours and the nearest one in Gloucester has free capacity available. Burning waste is incompatible with the Climate Emergency Wiltshire Council declared for the county. Our county council is already being criticised for not reducing CO2 fast enough. The incinerator will not help this race against climate change.
Decision time
“The decision on the incinerator is going to Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee soon. Some of the councillors are not familiar with Westbury – they will not know that Westbury has above the county average for deaths from CPD, cardiovascular disease and cancer. You need to tell them you object to the incinerator. Tell your Wiltshire MP to write a joint letter from all Wiltshire MPs opposing the plans – the same action was taken in Northern Ireland this month.”
