Support pledged in fight against Binn Farm energy plant
THE fight against a proposed waste-to-energy plant branded 'a toxic time-bomb' by campaigners has moved up a gear.
Local politicians have given their backing to community councillors in the Howe of Fife who are opposing plans to establish the facility at Binn Farm, near Glenfarg.
SEPA, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, is currently considering an application by SITA UK Ltd. for a permit to operate the plant, which would be capable of burning some 60,000 tonnes a year of the municipal waste collected by Perth and Kinross Council and turning it into electricity.
But the proposal has prompted hundreds of objections from people in north east Fife worried about the proximity of the site to nearby rural communities such as Gateside, Auchtermuchty, Dunshelt and Strathmiglo.
This week, North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell, Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Ted Brocklebank, and Howe of Fife councillor Donald Lothian stepped into the controversy by pledging their support for the objection lodged with SEPA by Auchtermuchty and Strathmiglo Community Council.
"The communities that border the proposed incinerator site at Binn Farm are angry at the way they have been treated and the many issues surrounding the energy-to-waste development proposal," said Mr Brocklebank.
"The proposed 'waste to energy' plant would at best be only 22 per cent efficient and the local communities have real concerns as to the environment and public health issues which the proposed incinerator could bring."
Michelle Hickson, the SEPA specialist who will make the decision about whether to grant SITA UK an operator's licence, said she was 'very aware' of the concerns of local communities regarding the proposal.
She said that before she makes her determination a draft decision document will be made available to the public and to interested parties for further consultation, and comments will be taken into account before the final decision is reached.
The Binn Farm site received planning permission from Perth and Kinross Council in September 2007, and the latest application is for a Pollution, Prevention and Control (PPC) licence which is required before operations can begin.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kirkcaldy
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 6 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South west
