Two setbacks for North Yorkshire incinerator scheme (From The Northern Echo)

Two setbacks for North Yorkshire incinerator scheme

8:00am Thursday 16th February 2012 in News By Stuart Minting

A WASTE incinerator scheme next to the A1(M) that could cost taxpayers £1.4bn has suffered two major setbacks.

The Department of Transport has asked AmeyCespa, the firm behind the plan at Allerton Quarry, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, to detail steps it would take to minimise the impact of site traffic on the motorway traffic flows.

North Yorkshire County Council has been urged by the Government department’s executive arm, the Highways Agency, to postpone making a decision on the scheme for six months because it understood agency officials want assurances that the road network would not be adversely affected.

A spokeswoman for the Highways Agency said: “In particular, the agency has requested details of plans to manage HGV journeys to and from the site, and plans to minimise the amount of traffic generated by staff and visitors to the site.”

Meanwhile, members of Conservative-led Harrogate Borough Council have vowed to fight the plan, which is being backed by their county council party colleagues.

The borough council’s officers recommended councillors should not object to the £65m plant, but 14 out of 15 members of the planning committee voted to “strongly oppose” the scheme, while one member abstained.

Councillors said the scheme could become a landmark on the A1(M) and would damage the countryside, citing concerns over possible toxic fumes and traffic flows.

Steve Wright, chairman of North Yorkshire Waste Action Group, said he was delighted councillors had called for the plan to be determined at a public inquiry.

He said: “The fight is far from over, but this is a massive boost to the campaign against the incinerator.”

He added: “We hope North Yorkshire County Council will heed the message this decision sends.

“This proposal is wrongheaded and should be scrapped before any more public money is wasted pursuing it.”

A spokesman for AmeyCespa it was right to give the Highways Agency more time to assess the complex scheme and that its discussions with the agency remained “on track”.

The county council and City of York Council awarded a 25-year contract for the plant to AmeyCespa in 2010, and are due to make a decision on whether it can be built later this year.

The authorities say the plant would see their waste management bills cut by £320m, as well as producing enough electricity to power about 40,000 homes.