Waterbeach incinerator plan gets flood of reaction

Residents of Waterbeach are hopeful that the high number of objections against a proposed £200million incinerator will give planners pause for thought.

Cambridgeshire County Council has pushed back a planning meeting about the application owing to a"high level of interest".

A petition against the Amey incinerator, proposed for its recycling plant at Waterbeach, has collected more than 2,200 signatures while 321 written responses have been sent by residents to the council.

Parish councils have also objected.Landbeach and Waterbeach parish councils are against the scheme, while nearby Cottenham Parish Council recommends approval. Haddenham, which is just over five miles away from the proposed site, is backing the plan on the understanding the village will get a financial contribution for the community.

A spokesperson for campaign group CBWIN said it is optimistic:"Residents of Cambridge are voicing their concerns loudly and joining the campaign.

"Ultimately this is about a world-leading city of innovation and science embracing and fighting for true innovation and science, and not accepting outdated technology that sits at the bottom of global and EU energy from waste hierarchies, and which contributes to poor air quality which scientists worldwide have declared is damaging to health, just because a profit motivated company has decided it's financially a better option for them."

The group says a"truly sustainable solution to waste is needed".

A county council spokesperson said the planning application would not be ready this month, as planned.

"Taking into account the high level of interest in this planning application, the report is not due to be considered by the planning committee until mid-September at the earliest,said the spokesperson."A bespoke meeting with the committee is being sought, along with an appropriate extension of time from the applicant.

"This is due to the large number of comments made during the most recent public consultation which have to be considered, and clarification sought from specialised consultants and statutory consultees.

"When a date has been scheduled, details will be provided to all those who wrote in with their views during the consultation period two weeks ahead of any planned meeting."