Residents ‘sold out’ over incinerator plan inquiry

Aug 2 2007 by Jessica Shaughnessy, Liverpool Daily Post

A PUBLIC inquiry will not be held over a plan to build Europe’s biggest waste incinerator on the banks of the River Mersey.

Councillors in Halton met on Tuesday to discuss the £330m proposal for Runcorn by chemical giant Ineos Chlor and decided against a local inquiry.

Protesters last night said they had been sold out to civil servants in London who will now decide wheth-er the plan should go ahead.

More than 1,000 residents have signed a petition against the scheme which would be the size of 20 foot-ball pitches and have a 344ft-high chimney.

The household waste incinerator will be used to power Ineos Chlor’s chemi-cal plant in Runcorn.

The final decision will be taken by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform later this year. Though Halton Borough Council have decided not to hold a public inquiry, it has asked Ineos Chlor for reassuranc-es . Unless they are given, they will object to the plan.

Campaigner Jeff Meehan said: “The council did not want the cost of a public inquiry, so they decided to cop out. We always hoped the decision-making would be democratic, but now civil servants who do not know the area will decide behind closed doors. We have been sold down the river.”