Mixed feelings over incinerator plan

1:47pm Wednesday 30th April 2008

VILLAGERS have just two weeks to have a say on what they think of plans to build a waste incinerator on their doorsteps.

Oxfordshire County Council wants an incinerator capable of burning at least 300,000 tonnes of waste each year.

And Spanish-owned Waste Recycling Group, which operates the landfill site in Sutton Courtenay, is on the shortlist of just two companies. The other is Viridor, which runs the other major landfill site at Ardley.

Over the weekend, public exhibitions were held in Sutton Courtenay, Didcot and at the WRG's offices in Appleford to gauge public opinion over proposals for the £100m waste incinerator.

Residents were handed questionnaires and have until Friday, May 16, to return them.

Paul Green, WRG's senior estates manager, said 150 people attended the exhibitions and so far the company has received 50 completed questionnaires.

He said: "There were some concerns about traffic and other concerns that we will now take on board as the application processes, but generally it was well received."

Mr Green said that the main points raised were the provision of public access to the site and a plea for financial contributions to be used locally.

He believes an application will be submitted in June and, if given the go ahead, construction could begin in spring 2009.

Harry Hudson, of Green Issues, the company which ran the exhibitions, said: "There is a lot of interest in the scheme and people mainly want to be reassured about the traffic implications and on health."

Pensioner Bill Pettis, of Main Road, Appleford, is worried about the smell from the incinerator.

He said: "Myself and my wife are not very stoked on the idea. It is about time they went and bothered some other people. There will be a smoke smell. I cannot see how they will avoid it."

Neighbour Alf Green, 82, said: "The only thing is you would have to start watching the bridge over Appleford railway as it could start to collapse with the lorries coming through from Sutton Courtenay.

"The heavy traffic already causes problems here. This will close the village."

However, Stephen Noys, 58, of Harwell Road, said: "It doesn't look too bad. Somebody has to have it after all. I am fairly happy with it.

"I do not think we have too much to complain about. Appleford is closer. I don't think the traffic will affect us."

Didcot resident Ruth Garnett, 38, of Calder Way, said: "Traffic may increase with taking stuff to the incinerator but sometimes these things just have to be put where they have to go."

Freda Griffiths, of Great Western Drive, said: "There is concern about it. People aren't happy about it and we don't have a lot of information."

Didcot Residents' Association chairman James Charman said that his only concern was the extra pollution it could bring to the area.

Gervase Duffield, who represents Appleford on the Vale of White Horse District Council and is also member of the parish council, agreed another incinerator was needed in Oxfordshire but was concerned about the adverse effects.

He said: "There are things that come out of incinerators, not very nice things if you live downwind of it.

"This thing is going to operate 24 hours a day, which is quite different to the previous landfill.

"It has always been Monday to Friday and a little bit of Saturday, but this means that anybody who lives nearby will have huge rubbish vehicles travelling along all the time, including at the weekends."