Incinerator protests planned at council

The committee is being consulted on the application at Allerton Park, near Knaresborough, before it goes before North Yorkshire County Council later this year.

Harrogate Borough Council officers have recommended it for no objections subject to a number of observations.

But the North Yorkshire Waste Action Group (NYWAG) and representatives of numerous parish councils in the area surrounding the proposed incinerator, are planning a protest outside the council office at Crescent Gardens before the meeting at 2pm.

Peter Topham, chair of the group representing 10 parish councils around the area, said: “This is the crunch moment for getting this application thrown out for good.

“We believe we have got a very strong argument and we are hopeful that Harrogate Council will listen to these arguments based on the information we have provided them.”

Around 10,000 people have now signed a petition in protest at the scheme which is due to go before a planning committee later this year, with local MPs calling on Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to step in.

The £1.45bn waste contract with contractor AmeyCespa is to be paid for via the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), a controversial funding method which the Treasury accepts is in need of reform.

The Yorkshire Post has revealed that it will mean York Council and North Yorkshire County Council will have to spend an estimated £400m of taxpayers’ money on high-interest bank loans to support the construction of the controversial incinerator.

A York Council planning committee did not register any objection to the incinerator plans in December, with 11 councillors in favour and two abstentions.