Ministry of Defence in 'speedy u-turn' over objection to incinerator plan

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“I am very concerned that the Government has withdrawn the objection to help smooth the path of the incinerator application without considering the country’s long-term strategic interest.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.