THE Ministry of Defence has been accused of a ‘speedy

u-turn’ after withdrawing its objection to Cornwall’s planned

incinerator.

The MoD had opposed the plans because of the proposed 120m

high chimney stack for the energy-from-waste plant at St

Dennis.

St Austell and Newquay parliamentary candidate Stephen

Gilbert said today he had written to defence minister Des

Browne for an explanation for the withdrawal of the

objection.

He said: “This is a bizarre and rather speedy u-turn from the

MoD and, frankly, it seems a bit dodgy.

“I am very concerned that the Government has withdrawn the

objection to help smooth the path of the incinerator

application without considering the country’s long-term

strategic interest.

“I have written to the Secretary of State for Defence, Des

Browne, to ask him what has changed in the last four weeks that

means the MoD is confident that the runway at St Mawgan will

not be used for defence related activities at any point for the

next 30 years.”

He continued: “With the international situation in flux and

the UK facing a range of strategic challenges, it seems

dangerous to effectively put out of action one of this

country’s most strategically useful airfields.”

The announcement comes as Restormel Borough Councillors

unanimously objected to the planning application for the

incinerator.

Hundreds of residents, traders and campaigners demonstrated

about the plans outside the council offices in St Austell on

Tuesday evening before a special council meeting which had been

organised to debate the subject.

Residents stated their case against the plans, discussing

health effects, environmental impacts and transport issues at

the proposed site.

People spilled out the chamber doors when it reached

capacity forcing scores of families from the Clay Country to

sit in the foyer of the council offices listening to the

proceedings.

The only person speaking in support of the plans was Tim

Greenwood from SITA, which has filed the application for the

Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre.

He described the buildings, which are larger than two

Wembley football pitches and likely to be visible from the

Lizard, as a “piece of quality architecture”.

Councillors pointed out that the 120-meter high chimney

which has been proposed is taller than Truro Cathedral, Big Ben

and the Statue of Liberty.

They recommended that when Cornwall County Council makes the

final decision the application should be rejected, taking into

account the concerns of the parish councils, safety precautions

on the site and the impact on infrastructure.

Councillors added that other options needed to be fully

considered as they did not believe that a centralised waste

system was the best system to handle Cornwall's waste.