Berkshire incinerator plans submitted to council

The plant would provide electricity for 50,000 homes

Plans for an incinerator in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Berkshire have been submitted to the council.

Waste management firm Grundon wants to build the facility on the Old Kiln Quarry site beside the M4 motorway at Chieveley.

The company said the plant's capacity had been cut from 350,000 to 250,000 tonnes in response to local opposition.

The plans have been submitted to West Berkshire Council and a public consultation will follow.

Campaigners called Grundon's scale-down of its original plans "minor", and said the incinerator would damage the landscape and lead to a rise in vehicle numbers.

A statement from the West Berkshire Against Grundon Incinerator group said: "There are no waste incinerators on any AONB's (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) currently in the UK and that is for a good reason.

"We are prepared to fight Grundon all the way to judicial review if necessary.''

Grundon has said the incinerator will provide a safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable way of dealing with waste.

As well as the reduction in capacity, the height of the proposed chimney stack has been reduced from 280ft (85m) to 245ft (75m).