Woodhurst: Plans for clinical waste incinerator turned down
- Published
Waste disposal company Envar wants to build an incinerator at its Woodhurst site
An authority has turned down a proposal to build an incinerator at a waste disposal plant.
More than 2,000 people signed a petition against plans to burn clinical waste on the site at Woodhurst, near St Ives in Cambridgeshire.
Councillors turned down the application on the grounds of the effect on the landscape and perceived health risks.
Waste disposal company Envar said it would now be "taking some time to review our options".
People against the plans said they were worried about air quality as well as the visual impact of a 26m (85ft)-high chimney.
They were also concerned about the extra road movements resulting from waste being brought in from other counties.
Planning officers at Cambridgeshire County Council had recommended the application for approval but the planning committee voted by five votes to four to refuse it.
Council officer Emma Fitch said: "The first reason for refusal is landscape.
"The scale of the proposed chimney in relation to the landscape (being local character and visual impact) and harm to the visual amenity of local businesses and residents (particularly those living and working nearest the development) are considered to have significant adverse effects which cannot be resolved through the proposed mitigation.
"The second reason for refusal is perceived health and wellbeing risks to local businesses and residents."
Liz Blows, from the Raptor Foundation, a bird rescue centre near St Ives, who was worried about the impact on her site, said she was "delighted" at the decision.
"There was no real consultation with any of us in the beginning about this, we were all worried about it... it was a brilliant case put forward by everybody that attended [the meeting]," she said.
David Glover, from the People Opposing Woodhurst Incinerator campaign group (POWI) described the decision as "a victory for the residents".
"Yesterday we faced an uphill battle, we went there thinking this recommendation had been approved and [the decision] was a victory for quality of life versus moneymaking, it's as simple as that," he said.
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