Chieveley registers "strongest possible objection" to incinerator

Hundreds descended on Chieveley Recreation Centre to watch council form stance on incinerator last night (Tues)

CHEERS and applause rang around Chieveley Recreation Centre last night (Tuesday) as hundreds of people packed into the hall to witness the local parish council throw its weight behind objections to a waste incinerator planned for the village.

Members of the public from across West Berkshire and even Reading made the journey to the special meeting, and they were still filing into the hall as the discussion of Grundon's proposals to build the energy from waste plant, capable of burning hundreds of thousands of tonnes of municipal and household waste a year at Old Kiln Quarry near Junction 13 of the M4, began.

They were given a chance to air their views to the parish council and help it decide the approach it was to take.

Eight members of the public spoke out, all denouncing the proposals.

Far from the emotive ‘nimbyism' often accompanying such large developments, the arguments put forward were detailed and specific perceived criticisms of Grundon's application were over the following:

- insufficient need demonstrated for the plant

- flouting of Government rules regarding the protection of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

- impact on the road network

- groundwater pollution

- skewing of the criteria by which Chieveley was selected over other areas to contain the incinerator

The members of the parish council entitled to vote put forth their views and were greeted with rapturous applause from the crowd, before a vote was taken and the strongest possible objection was lodged.

For more on this story see this tomorrow's (Thursday's) Newbury Weekly News.