Government approves Portland waste incinerator

How the proposed incinerator at Portland Port could look

A new waste incinerator in Portland, Dorset has been given the go-ahead by the government.

Dorset Council had refused the plan, voicing concerns over its visual impact, pollution and lorries. Developers Powerfuel Portland appealed the council's decision.

The government decided on Monday to allow the appeal and grant planning permission.

Councillor Nick Ireland, Leader of Dorset Council, said it was "regrettable" the government had overridden the council's decision.

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

In a statement, Mr Ireland said: "This ignores the views of thousands of Dorset residents, who oppose the burning of waste on the Jurassic coastline for environmental, economic, and health reasons.

"Portland residents have already coped with the disruption caused by the presence of the Bibby Stockholm barge - another decision imposed by central government - against the wishes of local residents and Dorset Council.

"They now face the prospect of a large-scale incinerator being built on their doorstep, in the middle of a UNESCO World Heritage site, with all the consequences that go along with it."

The authority said it was reviewing the report and speaking with government representatives "to find out what they intend to do to support Portlanders and the wider community, to mitigate the negative impacts this decision will bring."

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

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

The decision to approve planning permission was made by Rushanara Ali MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Building Safety and Homelessness, on behalf of the Secretary of State.

According to the government's response, the Secretary of State decided the proposal "would not appear out of scale, or out of place".

She also agreed "there is not convincing evidence" the proposal would have detrimental health impacts.

Conservative councillor for Dorset Council Laura Beddow said: "Dorset Council has amazing recycling rates, less than 2% of our waste goes to landfill. The government minister has decided that the Jurassic Coast is a great place to deal with other people's waste."

Lloyd Hatton, the Labour MP for South Dorset, said: "It is a really disappointing outcome.

"I am not happy to put this to bed, I am going to carry on working with local campaigners to make sure we try and stop this proposal. It is not the right idea to put at incinerator at Portland Port."

The £150m incinerator, run by Powerfuel Portland, will burn household, commercial and skip waste.

It will be able to process up to 202,000 tonnes of waste each year and is expected to create enough energy to power about 30,000 homes.

A spokesperson for Portland Port said it "welcomes the decision" to grant planning permission

They continued: "Portland Port will work with Powerfuel as a commercial operator on the port estate, as it does with all other occupiers, to facilitate operations and take the next steps forward."