Anger over incinerator decision

ANGER and defiance has greeted East Sussex County Council s decision to back plans for an incinerator at Newhaven s North Quay.

At a council meeting in Lewes on Friday demonstrators called for incinerators to be removed from waste plans.

However, despite united opposition from Seaford, Newhaven and Ouse Valley residents, councillors agreed Newhaven should remain the preferred site for a waste burner to serve the western part of the county, including Brighton and Hove.

Seaford and Newhaven s MP Norman Baker attacked the decision. He said: The county council is adopting policy and pushing through projects that nobody wants like the incinerator and cancelling projects people do want like the port access road in Newhaven and the new Lewes library.

It is astonishing they can be so determined to ignore unanimous public opinion.

Newhaven Mayor David Fitton urged people not to give up campaigning and continue to oppose the plans.

He said: People in Newhaven must not become resigned to the fact an incinerator is coming. Newhaven needs to continue to fight.

Seaford Tory county councillor Mike Murphy argued incinerators should be sited in less populated areas. I feel that alternatives should have been considered such as Beddingham.

However, he would not condemn his Tory colleagues for voting in favour of Newhaven.

He appreciated the dilemma they faced to find a site for the growing mountains of waste. He said: It is difficult to say they are wrong, but I do not agree with the proposal for Newhaven. I have always voted against it and will continue to do so.

Peacehaven residents also voiced their concerns.

Angela Hopwood, from People Against Pollution, the organisation which was formed to fight Portobello sewage works plans, said: If it is imposed on us by the authorities, incineration must only be used as a very last resort, and only when proven safe. Then, by this time, there would only be need for a smaller incinerator because recycling levels would have increased significantly.

However, Tory county councillor for Peacehaven John Livings criticised out of date information circulated about incinerators. Last year he visited one in Lewisham.

He said: This modern state of the art incinerator is just six miles from Hyde Park Corner and consumes 400,000 tonnes of waste per annum. It emits no more dioxins to the atmosphere than one diesel engine dustcart.

He added: People are all fighting a single issue with no alternative answer. If we do not get a local plan on deposit we will lose the opportunity of Private Finance Initiative money offered by the Government.

If we have a local plan we can defend a public inquiry. If we have no sites specifically the public inspector can put it anywhere he chooses.

With a site specified in the plan at least we have a chance of defending it.