Labour town councillors’ concerns about incinerator plans

THE new plans for an incinerator to be built on the Westbury Trading Estate was the main item on the agenda at a meeting of the Westbury Town Council Labour Group.

Westbury Mayor, cllr  Mike Sutton, who represents the North Ward, an area directly affected by the proposed plans, said he fully supported the people in Westbury who are campaigning to stop the NRE plant on the edge of the town, 

He said, “At a time when the planet is in great danger, it seems the wrong solution to the problem of waste in society, it is in the wrong location. Westbury has air pollution problems and hasn’t got the infrastructure to service a massive building increase.”  He wondered when will Wiltshire Council listen to the people they are meant to represent and not bow before vested interests?

Following her frequent support for recycling initiatives within the Westbury Town Council and her clothes upcycling workshops, West Ward cllr Jane Russ is well known for her positive attitude to recycling.  “Although this may seem the easy option to many,” she said, “it does nothing to address the issue that we are using too much single use plastic and Wiltshire Unitary Council are not setting it as a priority.  

“Reducing the waste itself at source should be the aim. It isn’t a quick fix but, like building an incinerator would appear to be, however by the time it is actually finished, the money could have been channelled to more proactive and green recycling ideas.”   

Cllr Michael Amos whose East Ward constituency will bear the brunt of increased traffic pointed out that “first it was supposed to be a “clean” gasification plant, but now they want it to be a conventional incinerator and have upped the capacity, with three times the amount coming through the town. It’s not Westbury’s waste, it’s waste trucked in from all over the South West that will end up polluting the lungs of Westbury residents.”

Cllr Mike Kettlety expressed the need for consultation with other parish councils who will be affected including Dilton, North Bradley, Heywood and Hawkeridge, and Southwick. He said, “I have recently spoken to the Chair of North Bradley Parish Council who is particularly concerned about the potential increase in HGV traffic going through North Bradley and Yarnbrook.”

Cllr Janet Snooks said, “I fully support the views expressed by my colleagues, these proposals need thorough examination and questioning.”

The Labour members on Westbury Town Council say they are determined to listen to and support the views of Westbury people on this matter, and to that end will be in further contact with the Stop Westbury Incinerator Group.