Alistair Cameron criticises proposals for incinerator in Gloucestershire

5.48.57pm GMT Thu 3rd Dec 2009

An Incinerator

Alistair Cameron, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Tewkesbury has criticised the County Council's proposals which could result in an incinerator being built in Gloucestershire. Alistair made this criticism when he responded to the County Council's recent consultation on its waste core strategy.

Alistair said: "I am totally opposed to the construction of an incinerator anywhere in Gloucestershire because of the hazardous waste it will produce (such as fly ash), because it will involve burning valuable resources which could be recycled or reused and because it will pump more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. I am also concerned about the expense of the County Council getting locked into a long, inflexible contract for an incinerator (eg over 25 years)."

As part of his submission to the Council, Alistair has opposed two of the proposed locations for a waste site: Wingmoor Farm (near Stoke Orchard and Bishops Cleeve) and Easter Park (near Ashchurch and Northway).

Alistair said: "Wingmoor Farm already has to deal with far too much waste and we should not be adding to this. The site is near to villages including Bishops Cleeve, Stoke Orchard, Elmstone Hardwick and Swindon Village and I am very concerned about the impact on the health and well being of the local community. NHS Gloucestershire are currently carrying out a study of the health impact of Wingmoor Farm on local people and it is premature to be considering putting more waste onto this site until this study has been completed."

"Easter Park is very near to Northway and Ashchurch Villages. The residential areas are far too close for this to be considered as a waste site. There is a culvert running through the site and nearby areas of Northway were badly flooded in 2007. We cannot afford to take any further risks of flooding in this area. The A46 which runs next to the site is very congested and could not cope with any more traffic."

Alistair has recommended that the County Council adopts an alternative waste strategy based on providing smaller waste facilities in the county so that local communities are responsible for dealing with their own waste. This would make the communities aware of the need to reduce and recycle waste as much as possible. The County should also set a recycling target of 80% by 2020. Smaller sites would reduce the cost and pollution of waste being transported around the county.