Protest march planned as incinerator decision looms

OBJECTORS to a controversial waste incinerator planned for a site on the northern boundary of Chesterfield are to stage a protest march – which will include farmers, their tractors and horse riders.

The march will be held on Saturday, October 9, to draw awareness to the meeting of Derbyshire County Council’s planning committee at its Matlock headquarters on October 19, when members will make a decision on Cylamax’s planning application for the incinerator on a site at Sheepbridge.

It will start at 11am from Dunston Hall Garden Centre – across the road from the proposed incinerator site – and will go to the Whittington Moor roundabout and back, a total distance of about two miles.

The planning application has been opposed by Chesterfield Borough Council and North East Derbyshire District Council, Dronfield Town Council and numerous individual objectors who claim that emissions from the incinerator could be a health hazard to the thousands of people who live close to the site.

Julie Harrington, from the Chesterfield Against Incineration action group, said: “We have planned the march to draw awareness to the county council planning committee meeting and we want as many people as possible to attend this meeting, when a decision will be made on the planning application.

“Derby City Council has rejected a planning application for an identical waste incinerator and we are hoping for the same decision by Derbyshire County Council.

“The march will include farmers, their tractors and horse riders because the incinerator site is next to large areas of farmland and stables towards the Sheffield boundary, including Dronfield.”

The action group has also hired coaches to take objectors to the planning meeting on October 19, leaving from Dunston Hall Garden Centre prior to the 1pm meeting.