Blow for Perth incinerator plans

The plant aims to produce energy from burning waste

Controversial plans for a £100m waste incinerator have suffered a blow after the Scottish Environment Protection Agency said it should not go ahead.

Perth and Kinross Council's head of planning has also recommended that final planning consent for the plant should be refused.

Grundon Waste Management hopes to build the incinerator, which has a 90,000 tonne capacity, near Perth city centre.

Councillors are due to make a final decision on the issue on 24 November.

Campaigners have been calling for the initial planning consent, granted to the project in 2006, to be revoked.

They have argued that the nature of the proposed plant, in the city's Shore Road, was such that it should have been referred to Scottish ministers for consideration.

They (Sepa) are sheltering under the guise of having just realised that they are allowed to attack the principle Dave Beattie Campaigner

Bridgend, Gannochy and Kinnoull Community Council said the decision to grant initial consent was unlawful.

It also accused Sepa of failing to give due consideration to incinerator plans as a "key consultee" when consent was given.

However, in a letter sent to Perth and Kinross Council by Sepa on Friday, the agency said it now objected to the plans on the grounds that the proposed site was too small, and that Grundon Waste Management had not fully explored other more appropriate sites and addressed concerns about noise, smell and heat pollution.

Campaigner Dave Beattie said the issues raised by Sepa had only been addressed after the community council met Sepa officials to push the case.

'Strongest grounds'

He said: "I regard this as a full retreat by Sepa.

"They haven't been full frontal in their letter, but they have conceded every one of our points without referring to our meeting.

"They are sheltering under the guise of having just realised that they are allowed to attack the principle. But they've added all our issues on smell, noise and heat."

He added that the letter was the "strongest grounds" for refusal of the application.

Meanwhile, in a report to members, Perth and Kinross Council's head of planning, Roland Bean, said the incinerator plans should be rejected.

His report revealed that there had been 979 letters of objection against the plans and one in favour.

Mr Bean also said that the council should have acknowledged that it owned the southern half of the site when it granted outline planning consent.

A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council said the meeting scheduled for 24 November would go ahead at 1300 GMT.