St Ives: Charity troubled as plans for waste incinerator revisited

The waste disposal company Envar has applied to build an incinerator at its Woodhurst site

Staff from a bird sanctuary have spoken of their stress that plans to build a clinical waste incinerator nearby were still being considered.

Last year, Cambridgeshire County Council rejected Envar Composting's application to build an incinerator at its waste disposal site at Woodhurst, near St Ives in Cambridgeshire.

The firm has appealed the ruling, which the council said it would "defend".

The Planning Inspectorate will now review the decision.

Liz Blows, the chief executive of the Raptor Foundation, a bird rescue centre in Woodhurst, said she had been initially "delighted" by the council's rejection of the plan, but said the appeal had troubled her.

She added: "The stress of having to go through all this again is taking its toll on me.

"Is this the right place for an incinerator to be, right next to a bird-of-prey rescue centre?

"[The Raptor Foundation] is non-profit and everything we make financially - which we struggle at times to do - goes back into the welfare for the birds."

An Envar spokesperson said: "Envar remains committed to providing information about the project's environmental benefits and sustainable waste management practices as appropriate and shall be available for comment after the decision has been issued."

In April 2023, members of the council's planning committee voted against giving permission for changes at the site in Woodhurst.

The application was turned down on the grounds of the effect on the landscape and perceived health risks.

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People who spoke out against the plans said they were worried about air quality as well as the visual impact of a 26m (85ft)-high chimney at the site.

Concerns were also raised over the extra road movements resulting from waste being brought in from other counties.

'Robustly defend'

Henry Batchelor, the chair of Cambridgeshire County Council's planning committee, said: "The [committee] voted by a majority to oppose this development.

"The council will be robustly defending its decision at the planning enquiry. In planning, you need to strike a balance and in this case the committee believed the adverse impacts outweighed the benefits.

"The committee had particular concerns about the visual impact of the tall chimney on the surrounding fen landscape and our planners are working to understand the full effects on neighbouring farms and other businesses."

An Envar spokesperson said: "While Envar welcomes dialogue about the project, we believe it's important to fully engage in the planning appeal process before making further public statements. We respect the importance of the independent process and look forward to presenting our case."