Legal move to stop incinerator plan begins

The site is on the north eastern corner of the Isle of Portland, on land owned by Portland Port

Campaigners have begun legal efforts to overturn a decision to approve plans for a waste incinerator on the Dorset coast.

The facility, planned for land on Portland Port, was given the go-ahead last month by the government, despite initially being refused by Dorset Council.

The Stop Portland Waste Incinerator (SPWI) group has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a statutory review of the decision.

Powerfuel Portland said its plant would allow Dorset's non-recyclable waste to be "managed locally in a more sustainable way".

The developer had appealed a decision by the council to refuse planning permission for its proposed energy recovery facility (ERF) on industrial land at the edge of Portland Port.

Following a public inquiry held last year, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that planning permission had been granted.

SPWI said it would be filing a case to the High Court for a Statutory Review of the decision in a bid to reverse the government's ruling.

The group objected to the plans saying prevailing winds would drag the incinerator plume straight across to Weymouth, Lulworth and the Jurassic Coast, affecting sensitive wildlife habitats.

In a statement, SPWI said the go-ahead for the project was "devastating".

"We were flooded with correspondence and pledges of support from anxious and angry local residents.

"To have this chance for the new government to do the right thing and uphold Dorset Council’s decision to refuse this incinerator is of the highest importance to tens of thousands of local residents.”

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to pay for the group's legal representation.

It comes after BBC analysis showed burning household rubbish in giant incinerators to make electricity is now the dirtiest way the UK generates power.

In approving the plans, the government said the incinerator would have "no harmful impact on the landscape and scenic beauty, or setting of the Dorset National Landscape" and "no injurious effect" on the Unesco Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

Dorset Council had initially rejected the plans, citing concerns over its visual impact, pollution and lorries.

Powerfuel Portland said the £150m facility would have the capacity to process up to 202,000 tonnes of waste per year and create enough energy to power about 30,000 homes.

The chimney stack at the incinerator, in use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, would stand at 262ft (80m) tall.

It said hazardous or clinical waste would not be burned.

An Environment Agency consultation over the granting of a permit to operate the incinerator has been reopened after an "administration error".

The agency said it would give people the opportunity to provide "new information" about issues such as pollution control and noise and odour from traffic on the site, beyond what had been submitted previously.

The consultation is due to close at midnight on Sunday.