Incinerator opponents ‘will keep on fighting’

The Yorkshire Post revealed yesterday that the incinerator, which was to be part of a £30m scheme to build a green energy facility at North Selby Mine, has been scrapped and Science City York (SCY) had decided to walk away from the development.

Now opponents of a similar proposed waste management plant at Allerton Park, between York and Harrogate, say they hope the plans can also be stopped.

Richard Lane, spokesman for York Residents Against Incineration (YRAIN), said: “This is exactly the right thing to do.

“Incineration as a technology is yesterday’s news, and it was never clear why Science City York wanted to endorse it, except possibly as a means to fund their planned renewables research centre.

“Energy created from burning waste is not truly renewable, whatever the Government says.

“It is polluting and inevitably leads to conflict with the need to improve recycling.

“Sadly I don’t think yesterday’s announcement is going to have an effect on the Allerton Park site but there are still lots of uncertainties surrounding it.

“We will not give up the battle.”

Despite scrapping the incinerator and SCY walking away from the partnership – it is claimed for financial reasons – UK Coal and Peel Environmental are pushing ahead with the green energy site at Selby which will produce energy for tens of thousands of homes.

A planning application is expected to be submitted soon for the Allerton Park plant, part of a £1bn contract between North Yorkshire County Council and international firm AmeyCespa.

The site will use mechanical sorting and anaerobic digestion alongside the controversial incinerator.