Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority ready to bin plans to burn waste from area at Peel Holding’s Ince Marshes incinerator

Jan 14 2010 Chester Chronicle

WASTE disposal experts in Merseyside are ready to bin their bid to burn Liverpool’s waste at the Ince Marshes Incinerator.

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority is returning its focus to two sites on its own soil in Knowsley over fears it will be unable to compete with the private sector to effectively buy the right to burn waste on the site.

The U-turn sets the MWDA on a collision course with Knowsley council which passed a resolution in 2007 in opposition to a new incinerator.

Knowsley’s Liberal Democrat opposition leader, Ian Smith, warned that, if the MWDA came forward with a planning application, current planning laws might force the authority’s hand.

“I personally think the council did the right thing passing the resolution not to have an incineration plant within the boundary of Knowsley,” said Cllr Smith.

“Once an application goes in, we are honour bound to consider it on its merit.

“Knowsley has huge swathes of Green Belt and over the next 10 years there is going to be a lot of pressure put on it in terms of whether to build houses on it.”

A spokesman for Knowsley council said: “We are considering the sub-region Waste Development Plan at our cabinet meeting on February 3.

“We have taken into consideration the MWDA’s views on energy from waste provision”.

The Environment Agency last night extended the consultation period on a permit application for a proposed energy from waste incineration facility at Weston Point, Runcorn.