Sutton Courtenay waste treatment plant rejected

Plans for a waste treatment plant in Oxfordshire have been turned down by councillors.

The application to build the plant, near Sutton Courtenay, was rejected by the county council's planning committee on Monday evening.

The plant would have processed 220,000 tonnes of waste from Oxfordshire, Berkshire and London.

It had already been unanimously rejected by The Vale of White Horse District Council in November.

Alan Bulpin, from the Waste Recycling Group Ltd, which is behind the application, said: "Naturally, we are disappointed with the decision.

"We are now considering whether the application should be appealed and that decision will be based on the council reasons for refusal.

"We'll take a decision over the next few months."

'Very pleased'

Vale council had previously rejected the plans because the site was too large, conflicted with the Vale's local plan and was in an area of open countryside.

David McKenzie, from Sutton Courtenay Against the Incinerator, said he was "very pleased" with the outcome but said the group would fight any possible appeals.

He added: "I think the Waste Recycling Group Ltd are well-versed in putting forward more proposals and we'll see yet another proposal which we'll again have to fight on the same sorts of grounds.

"The need has not been established in the area to do London and Berkshire's waste and the size of this building is going to be a big visual impact on the Vale area."

The application's rejection comes after a waste incinerator in north Oxfordshire, owned by a rival company Viridor, was approved by councillors last year despite protests from residents.