The proposed incinerator site at Saddlebow. Picture: Ian Burt.

Councillors to visit proposed King’s Lynn incinerator site

Richard Wheeler Friday, January 6, 2012
2:10 PM

Councillors have today unanimously agreed to see for themselves how a proposed incinerator will affect the surrounding area.

Waste company Cory Wheelbrator wants to build a rubbish burner, known as an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility, costing in excess of £500m at the Saddlebow industrial area, south of King’s Lynn.

Norfolk County Council’s planning regulatory committee approved a site visit, although it is not expected to take place before March.

Two letters from members of the public urged councillors to delay the trip until all the information they need to make a decision is available.

This includes a second public consultation.

Council officers said they had requested additional information from the applicant, which is expected to arrive in the next week.

The authority awarded the contract to build the EfW to Cory Wheelbrator and hopes to offset the cost by receiving £169m of government cash using PFI credits.

But environment secretary Caroline Spelman revealed she had put those credits on hold and wanted the council “additional evidence” of a broad consensus to dealing with waste.

The proposals have been met with thousands of objections.

Planning regulatory committee chairman John Rogers said: “I feel a site visit will be a good idea and we have yet to decide when the date will be.”

Liberal Democrat James Joyce added: “I am totally in accordance with what you said. We need a site visit”

Planning committee members were also warned yesterday not to jeopardise the process by making a decision on the incinerator in advance.

Mr Rogers said: “If they are drawn into conversation by anybody all they need to say is ‘I listen to what you say but I will not make up my mind until I’ve seen all the evidence’.”

The EfW facility will be expected to generate electricity by burning an estimated 268,000 tonnes of waste a year.

Designs for the project include an 85-metre high stack.

A report from the authority said: “The county council constitution provides for members to undertake visits to sites that are the subject of proposals where it is considered that the visit would provide a substantial benefit, e.g. where the visit will significantly assist the committee’s understanding of the issues or in controversial cases.

“At the time of writing, 2,639 representations had been received, of which 2,550 (96.6pc) have objected to the proposal. Given this level of objection, the proposal can be considered to be controversial.”

It added: “The site visit would be a ‘fact finding’ visit to enable members to note relevant features pertaining to the site and to gain an appreciation of the scale of the proposal in the relation to its surroundings.”

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9 comments

Knee deep in Toxic ash - I hear what you say, but I'm afraid this is a done deal. The councillors are now just going through the motions in case someone says at a later date "why didn't you carry out a site visit?". No, I'm afraid they've already received their orders from the Führer at County Hall and the Tory Wheelabrator will be built regardless of public opinion..... that's Cameron's Big Society for you!

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Norfolk and Good

Saturday, January 7, 2012
Did anyone hear Cllr Monson on Radio Norfolk, waffling on about the Thetford biomass plant that the county planners rejected on Friday? He said "The chimney stack is going to be 300 ft high – you’ll be able to see the facility for at least 20 miles around and it's really far too prominent a site, being on the edge of the Brecks, an environmentally sensitive area as it is." This is another own goal by Monson who seems to have forgotten all about his pet incinerator in Kings Lynn, with it's 278 ft chimney, on a prominent site, in an environmentally sensitive area. I wonder where all that Brecks rubbish might end up eventually?

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Fenscape

Saturday, January 7, 2012
Very suspicious that most districts councils have sent letters to Caroline Spelman asking her to release the £169 million PFI credits. None have a debate at district level so no mandate. Very few made comments on the planning application. Norfolk and Good, I feel the same as you but do you remember a certain meeting last year at county hall. Many hundreds and thousands of anti incinerator campaigners attended a meeting to do with the scrutiny committee, sorry a handful of pensioners. NCC had beefed it up by hiring a security company to hold back the crowds. It was fortunate the media were present to bear witness. NCC had allowed Cory Wheelabrator to use evidence ComRes phone poll and dismiss the legal Borough poll. This was the ingredients to discredit the Anti-incinerator campaigners and also accuse them of harassing certain Councillors without any evidence. In fact why would you want to do an act like this prior if you wanted them on your side? What has come out of this fiasco is evidence of how devious our Councillors are. I expect if the incinerator gets built the public of west Norfolk will vote the Tory party out of power at the next County elections. I expect many will be hoping there will be vacancies in other districts and maybe put their names on the reserve lists! If they have not already done so.

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Knee deep In Toxic ash

Saturday, January 7, 2012
Did anyone hear Cllr Monson on Radio Norfolk earlier, waffling on about the Thetford biomass plant that NCC's planners rejected today? He said "The chimney stack is going to be 300 ft high – you’ll be able to see the facility for at least 20 miles around and it's really far too prominent a site, being on the edge of the Brecks, an environmentally sensitive area as it is." This is another own goal by Monson who seems to have forgotten all about his pet incinerator in Kings Lynn, with it's 278 ft chimney, on a prominent site, in an environmentally sensitive area. That's politics for you folks - I wonder where all that rubbish might end up eventually?

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Fenscape

Friday, January 6, 2012
Anyone know where I can get several trays of rotten eggs for the welcoming ceremony??

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Norfolk and Good

Friday, January 6, 2012
Councillors are not allowed to speak to those for or against during a site visit; I am worried that objectors on the site visit day might delay the process if this is not made clear. Open minds are essential if democracy is to survive.No party whip!

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bedoomed

Friday, January 6, 2012
What motivates NCC be at odds with the electorate. What is more infuriating Mr William Hague was speaking after talks with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon? His next visit should be West Norfolk.

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Choice

Friday, January 6, 2012
What a joke.This has been going round and round for years, and now they want to visit the site! A bit overdue i would have thought. More on the expenses though.

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DaveG

Friday, January 6, 2012
An 85-metre high stack means that emissions will be measurable for almost 20 miles. Have Norfolk CC marked out that radius on a ward map yet?

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Michael Ryan

Friday, January 6, 2012