'Monstrous' Harewood waste incinerator plan scaled down

The incinerator could convert 500,000 tonnes of waste into energy, its operators said

A developer has reduced the size of a planned incinerator which protestors previously described as "monstrous".

US firm Wheelabrator said the site, at Longparish, near Andover, Hampshire, would be able to process up to 500,000 tonnes of waste per year.

Protest group Keep Test Valley Beautiful previously said the plant could hold two Winchester Cathedrals.

The developer said the building and two chimney stacks had been lowered to reduce the visual impact.

The industrial plant would be built on land near Longparish, Hampshire

Launching a second public consultation, the firm presented two alternative "enhanced" designs for the 65MW waste-to-energy plant.

Vice president Paul Green said: "We've been considering the feedback we received and adding a lot more detail to our proposals."

He said the site would process about half of the waste from Hampshire and adjacent counties that would otherwise be sent to landfill or exported.

'Hanged or shot'

Andy Jolliffe, from protest group Keep Test Valley Beautiful, said: "Yes, they've made some changes to the design but it's still an absolutely huge building.

"They've given two choices of design... It's a bit like asking us if we want to be hanged or shot."

Mr Jolliffe said the site would require about 400 lorry movements per day.

The scheme is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project due to its generating capacity, requiring approval from the government's Planning Inspectorate.

Wheelabrator said it expected to make an application to the inspectorate early in 2020, with a view to beginning operations in 2025.

The firm opened its first UK waste-to-energy plant at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire, in 2015, and is building further plants at Kemsley, Kent, and Parc Adfer, Deeside.