Incinerator 'on track' in spite of undisclosed legal wrangle

In 1999, the councils signed a 25-year contract with waste management firm WRG, which would operate the plant, but the project has been hit by a series of delays and setbacks, and now the authorities have revealed they are "seeking legal clarification" with the company over aspects of the agreement.

They have declined to say what they are trying to establish, but the uncertainty has led to fresh doubts over the future of the scheme, which has faced widespread public opposition.

The facility was intended to burn 240,000 tonnes of household waste each year, potentially saving both councils hefty charges for sending unrecycled waste to landfill sites.

Peter Turner, East Riding Council member for Mid-Holderness, and the chairman of a campaign group, Hull and East Riding Opposing the Incinerator (HOTI), said the councils' intentions were not clear.

And he doubted whether such a facility was needed anyway, given the increased recycling rates of both authorities.

He said: "If you ask any of the (council) officers anything about the incinerator you are met with a complete wall of silence. They are hiding something.

"On a broader front, waste arisings are falling, recycling has dramatically increased, especially in Hull, and the need for this sort of equipment to dispose of what's left over has markedly reduced.

"There never has been a need for an incinerator and this has always been our argument. They are obsolete."

He said opponents of the scheme were monitoring the situation, but he doubted whether it would ever go ahead.

"We have very careful watching brief at the moment because the councils are beating themselves up, we don't have to do anything. We can only hope they decide it isn't necessary."

The councillor said the biggest obstacle to delivering the incinerator was the cost of building it, which neither the local authorities or WRG have revealed.

He added: "It's not financially viable. If anything kills it that will be what it is."

Despite such misgivings, the councils said they still expected WRG to deliver.

A spokesman for both authorities said: "Waste Recycling Group Ltd (WRG) has planning approval for an energy from waste facility with a capacity up to 240,000 tonnes.

"The facility will be built by WRG. Under the contract with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council, WRG will dispose of the councils' waste that has not been recycled or composted.

"The councils require WRG to build the facility in accordance with the contract. Currently, the councils are, with WRG, seeking legal clarification on certain contractual points."

The spokesman could not say when the incinerator would be operational.

The incinerator was initially earmarked for a site in Foster Street, Hull, but planning permission was refused and the Secretary of State rejected the company's appeal against that decision, concluding that it would have an unacceptable impact on neighbouring listed buildings.

Planning permission for the Saltend site was granted in January 2007, but not a brick has been laid.

A spokesman for WRG said: "Waste Recycling Group remains committed to working with Hull City Council and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to deliver an energy from waste facility (EfW) at Salt End that will fit with their long-term waste and resource management strategy, and will consequently allow them to meet their important landfill diversion targets.

"Modern EfW incineration is a safe, robust and deliverable treatment technology."