Campaigners give up legal fight over incinerator

The facility will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, according to the developer

Campaigners against plans for a £150m incinerator on the outskirts of Swadlincote have said they are giving up on plans to fight the project in the courts.

The energy-from-waste incinerator was approved by a government inspector in August 2025 after being rejected by Derbyshire County Council's planning committee in 2024.

The Community Against the Swadlincote Incinerator group had asked a barrister to review the inspector's decision but in a Facebook post they said their case was not strong enough to go to judicial review.

The developer R&P Clean Power Limited said the plant would be capable of powering 36,000 homes.

More than 3,400 people signed a petition opposing the scheme and more than 1,200 submitted objection letters citing concerns over pollution, health issues, traffic and landscape impact.

The proposed site for the project at the rear of the existing Willshee's waste facility

In his decision last month, government inspector Paul Griffiths wrote: "In my judgment, the harm that would be caused, in its totality, while significant, would be outweighed by the benefits the proposal would bring forward.

"Any installation of this sort is going to result in harmful impacts, and it has not been argued that there are sequentially better sites available, especially sites that would provide the obvious co-locational benefits, and a rail spur."

Campaigners said at the time they were deeply disappointed and Amy Wheelton, a district and county councillor who spoke at the public inquiry, said she was "absolutely gutted" and dubbed the decision "bonkers and short-sighted".

The approval of the appeal will mean there will be three incinerators in southern Derbyshire, one in Sinfin, one in Drakelow and one in Swadlincote.