MP wants incinerator plan to be taken out of council’s hands and go to inquiry

Leeds East Labour MP George Mudie fears the council – which is the planning authority – will be seen as having a conflict of interest as it could lose financially if permission is rejected.

The council wants to build a power-generating incinerator at the former wholesale market in Cross Green to burn household waste that cannot be recycled.

Veolia ES Aurora Ltd has been chosen to build and operate the plant and the firm has submitted a planning application, due to be decided next spring.

But it emerged earlier this year the council could have to pay the firm £930,000 if the contract has to be terminated because of planning failure. The figure was in a confidential report for senior councillors, although Veolia insists the sum would be nowhere near £1m.

Mr Mudie wants the planning application to be “called in” by Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles and dealt with by a public inquiry. He intends to raise the issue with council chief executive, Tom Riordan, adding: “I am going to write to Mr Riordan saying I don’t think the council should deal with the planning side of this because of the impression people have that the council has a direct financial interest in the scheme being agreed.”

Mr Mudie also says the site is unsuitable as some homes are only 300m away, adding: “It is obscenely near houses. To place this so close to a working class area that doesn’t have the best of things anyway is wrong.”

A council spokeswoman said: “The part of the council that acts as the planning authority must work independently from the part of the council procuring the incinerator, the waste disposal authority.

“It should also be noted that Veolia are responsible for gaining planning permission, she explained.

“They have to demonstrate that they’ve made all reasonable endeavours to submit a sound application and secure permission before contractual clauses about compensation kick in.”