news story

13th February 2008

MP Backs Compost Plant Protestors at Public Meeting

At a packed public meeting in Pucklechurch last night (Tuesday 12th), Northavon MP Steve Webb spoke out publicly against plans for a new compost plant in the Green Belt between Pucklechurch and Westerleigh.

The meeting, which was attended by more than 250 local residents, heard presentations from the recycling and waste management company SITA, who want to build a new 'in-vessel' composter, and from parish councillor Martin Smith, who produced artist's impressions of the proposed plant. The presentations were followed by questions and comments from the floor.

MP Steve Webb told the meeting that this was the wrong place for a large scale development of this sort. He pointed out that SITA were contractually bound to provide a composting plant and that if this application was turned down they would simply find another more suitable site. Residents now have until 20th February to register their comments on the application.

Speaking after the meeting, Steve Webb said:

"There was overwhelming opposition among local people to these plans for major construction in the Green Belt. The questions and comments from local residents were extremely well informed and on many occasions SITA simply could not answer.

"The planning application does not give a realistic impression of the visual impact of the proposed plans, which will handle 30,000 tonnes of waste a year. This is simply the wrong location for an industrial development of this sort".

* Read more about this story on my blog <here>