Protest over waste plant plan near stately home

Proposals to include a rubbish incinerator at the first plant of its type in the countryside between York and Harrogate have already been strongly opposed by local communities and action groups.

And trustees from the foundation launched in 1986 to preserve the Grade I listed Allerton Castle have urged English Heritage to step in to block the plans for the plant, which is the centrepiece of a 25-year waste management strategy in North Yorkshire.

The Gerald Arthur Rolph Foundation for Historic Preservation and Education has written to English Heritage's regional director, Trevor Mitchell, outlining its concerns that a major industrial complex could be created around the waste disposal plant.

The plant is earmarked on the existing site of a quarry and landfill facility, but the land is due to be returned to countryside when the current operations cease.

Trustee Gerald Rolph said: "If this development goes ahead, it will open up the way for other development in the heart of Yorkshire's countryside. It will not only undermine the setting of a Grade I listed property, but also ruin some beautiful landscape.

"We are worried that these proposals will be steam-rollered through, and we are urging the people of North Yorkshire to voice their concerns before it is too late."

A public consultation is under way and construction could begin at the end of next year if planning permission is secured. The plant could be operational by 2014.

An English Heritage spokeswoman said: "While it will be important to preserve the setting of the buildings and landscape at Allerton Park, we do recognise the strategic importance of waste management proposals and hope that both can be accommodated."