NORTHWICH has been 'backed' as a potential site for an incinerator.
Government planning inspectors have publicly supported recommendations in Cheshire County Council's blueprint for waste management, which earmarks an area off Griffiths Road, Lostock Gralam, as a possible site for a thermal treatment plant.
A 180-page report by lead inspector Andrew Mead urges council bosses to press ahead with the plans, designed to deal with the county's growing waste mountain, despite thousands of objections from campaigners.
And he dismisses the many objections seeking to restrict management of waste to non-thermal treatment. He insists 'there is a role for incineration within the range of facilities which help to drive waste away from landfill'. His report even suggests 'small enlargements' be made to the Lostock site.
But campaigners say they are heartened by some areas of the report. Mr Mead questions whether it would make economical sense, insisting improved recycling would remove the need for such drastic measures.
The report states: 'If waste reduction, re-use, composting and recycling became so successful that the profitability of an incinerator would be questionable, I doubt one would be built to deal with municipal and commercial waste.'
Jonathan Guy, of the Cheshire Anti-Incineration Network formed to fight the proposal, said: 'To say the Government has backed the county council's plans - as the county has done - is very disingenuous because the inspector actually points out a few things that we've been saying all along.'
Mr Guy said the plans would continue to face 'very stiff opposition'.
The report will go before the county council's executive later this month and Cllr Andrew Needham, executive member for the environment, said: 'We are running out of landfill space and we have to find alternative methods to deal with waste.
'The proposals and policies agreed by the inspector will provide us with a sound basis for achieving those objectives and in so doing, protect the quality of life Cheshire provides.
'It must be stressed, however, that any applications for development on the preferred sites will have to obtain planning permission and to do that they will have to meet all the stringent criteria required by policies governing each site.'
