Waste plant plans are unanimously rejected (From Knutsford Guardian)

Waste plant plans are unanimously rejected

1:00pm Monday 3rd May 2010 in News By David Morgan

HOLMES Chapel campaigners have won their year-long battle against plans to build an incinerator in a neighbouring town.

Cheshire East Council’s planning committee unanimously rejected the controversial proposal to build a waste plant, capable of burning 370,000 tonnes of waste a year, in Middlewich.

Several people from the village were given the chance to speak their mind during a heated three-hour debate on Monday.

Andrew Berwitz, a homeopathic practitioner from Holmes Chapel, argued that the incinerator would create health risks due to pollutants.

He added: “Do we really need that with an already overstrained health budget? Three hundred and seventy thousand tonnes is an awful lot of waste to dispose of.”

The proposed incinerator would have had a chimney 80m tall, which would have been visible in Holmes Chapel, two-and-half miles away.

Mr Berwitz said: “It will be highly visible. If we have a new landmark we should have one to celebrate quality and excellence - a cleaner world and the best possible.

“We want best, not second best.”

Alan Macdonald, of Holmes Chapel Action Group, called Covanta’s application ‘shocking’.

He added: “From my point of view, the application doesn’t fit with waste culture. It doesn’t consider the waste strategy or well-being of residents.

“My main worry is the day-to-day accumulation of toxic chemicals.”

Covanta plans to appeal against the decision.