Irvine without incinerators group will fight to the end to stop new waste plant ahead of meeting tonight
The campaign group say they'll continue to pressurise everyone involved with the new incinerator facility.
A local group campaigning against a new incinerator being built in Irvine are continuing to gain public support ahead of another meeting night.
The Irvine without incinerators group is hoping to have the plug pulled on the controversial new waste plant being built for Doveryard Ltd and Oldhall Energy Recovery Ltd in the area.
Planning permission was given for the new facility by North Ayrshire Council in 2020, two years before the Scottish Government put a moratorium in place on the building of such facilities in the country.
The campaign group are continuing to collect signatures in a letter to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
It’s in a last-ditch hope to stop the construction of the facility and ask SEPA to refrain from granting the plant a license to operate.
Despite construction of the site being well underway, Irvine without Iincerators still harbour hopes of their campaign being successful and one of the founders Arthur West say they’ll fight to the very end to ensure it’s not built to protect the health of the local public.
He tells Greatest Hits Radio: “We’ll be pressurising at all levels, politicians, the companies involved, and we’ll continue to try raise awareness among the general public.
“The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency have to grant the owners with a license to operate the facility. So, we are frankly targeting them, and asking people from the public to sign letters we’re sending to SEPA that ask them to consider the public health implications of this place being in the Irvine area.
“The fact that there are no new permissions being given for these facilities in Scotland I think says it all, but we’re getting lumped with one in North Ayrshire.
“We’re going to continue to campaign, because an incinerator facility is not what we want to leave for future generations to deal with. The public health concerns are paramount, and we’ll take this all the way.”
However, Doveryard Ltd recently hit back against the campaign group insisting the plant will have environmental benefits and that there are no health and safety issues.
That hasn’t convinced Arthur’s group who have based some of their arguments on Friends of Earth Scotland saying the emissions can cause breathing problems and there is already a report that says North Ayrshire currently has a very high rate of respiratory problems among its population.
The Irvine without Incinerators next meeting will take place tonight, and all are welcome to go along. It’s being held at 7Pm in Irvine’s volunteer rooms.
A spokesperson for SEPA said: “Where new waste facilities come forward, SEPA ensures they are designed and operated to ensure they only accept non-recyclable waste, achieve a high level of energy efficiency and meet strict emission limits to protect the environment and human health.
“The application is currently being determined. The operator must demonstrate that all the appropriate preventative measures are taken against pollution, in particular through the application of the best available techniques, and that no significant pollution is caused as a result of the proposals submitted.
“Once we have carefully reviewed the application, our draft decision, including any draft Permit or draft Refusal Notice, will be published on our consultation hub to allow for a further period of public consultation.”