Campaigners submit petition against incinerator

Opponents of the site have raised concerns about the impact on air quality and health

A petition bearing 2,400 signatures has been submitted against long-running proposals to build an incinerator in a West Yorkshire town.

Residents in Sowerby Bridge have opposed the plans for a waste plant - which Calderdale Council approved an environmental permit for at the end of 2024.

On Wednesday, some of those involved in the campaign gathered outside Halifax Town Hall and chanted "they don't care about our air", before handing a petition to elected members calling for the permit to be rescinded.

The local authority has previously said its officers found the incinerator to be legal and therefore the permit would not be rescinded.

In February, campaigners raised £10,000 to launch a legal challenge against the decision, but the High Court later refused one of them, Malcolm Powell, permission to apply for a judicial review.

Mr Powell is planning to appeal against that ruling, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Councillor Simon Ashton and Jane Pugh presented the petition to Calderdale Council

Formally presenting the petition, Sowerby Bridge Labour councillor Simon Ashton said the uncertainty around the situation was affecting residents and cited air quality and health impacts as being among the main objections to the incinerator.

"Constituents have raised their voice and I urge this council to listen – please heed this petition and consider rescinding the permit," Ashton told the meeting.

Calderdale Council initially rejected a first application from Calder Valley Skip Hire (CVSH) to run the incinerator at its Rochdale Road site, before that decision was overturned on appeal.

A public inquiry later effectively backed the council's original position, however.

CVSH then submitted a second application, which was granted by the local authority alongside conditions, one of which would require continuous monitoring of air quality in the area.

Among opponents' grievances is the fact the second application was decided by officers, rather than debated by councillors in public.

Calderdale Council leader Jane Scullion told Wednesday's meeting that potential changes to the authority's planning system, which would mean councillors have the final say on such proposals, would be considered at the council's next Cabinet meeting.

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