Inquiry hears of sexed-up incinerator report
News Archive > General > Inquiry hears of sexed-up incinerator report
OPPONENTS of the proposed incinerator in St Dennis are claiming a successful week at the public inquiry in their battle to get the planning application refused.Representatives from the Transition Cornwall Network, which supports groups throughout the county moving toward a low carbon future, gave evidence at the appeal hearing staged at Kingsley Village in Fraddon. They detailed information on the council’s waste strategy and possible alternatives to a mass incinerator.
Members of the Cornwall Sustainable Waste Network, which seeks to minimise the amount of waste that has to be landfilled by the promotion of sustainable reduction, reuse and recycling strategies, were next up arguing that the incinerator would damage the Cornish food and drink industry.
Witnesses from the Power of Cornwall, an organisation, which believes incineration is the wrong technology, started to give their evidence yesterday.
Sita Cornwall is due to launch its counter offensive next week when the company’s experts start giving their evidence. They will commence by discussing their views on the impact the incinerator will have on the air quality and ecology of the area.
Meanwhile residents are busy putting the finishing touches to the speeches they will present during the public speaking stage of the public inquiry, which will be staged next Wednesday at St Dennis Working Men’s Club. St Austell prospective parliamentary candidates Caroline Righton and Stephen Gilbert will be among those giving evidence.
Ken Rickard, chairman of the strategy group for the anti-incinerator campaign, said: “This week has been another excellent one for the opponents of the incinerator appeal.
“The Sita QC seems to be struggling with the evidence against him in my opinion.
“The Transition Cornwall Network gave excellent and robust evidence. Councillor John Stocker, giving his opinion of the planning application preparation, felt he was given biased and selective information by Cornwall County Council officers.
“While Tom Petty, the chief executive of New Fuel Technology, which is coming up with new technology for the disposal of waste, gave interesting evidence.
“When asked about the Fichtner report, which was used to convince the waste development advisory panel to continue with the incinerator contract with Sita, he referred to it as being incredible and on par with the dossier for the war in Iraq. The report was full of inaccuracies. Fichtner contrary to its statement in the report had not spoken to New Fuel Technology Ltd. It was a sexed up report to sell incineration. It cannot be taken seriously.
“Stephen Gilbert gave a very good constructive response to his cross examination. He said they should clear the decks and start again. There was a very robust response from Ms Larke and at times the Sita QC must have wondered what hit him.
“Ms Hawkins gave a typically detailed performance. Mr Williams’s DVD presentation on the haul road was an excellently prepared piece, which was very detailed and informative and with very good commentary.”
