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You are here: CIWM  >  Publications  >  Latest News  >  Norfolk County Council Ignores Vote Against Waste Incinerator

Norfolk County Council Ignores Vote Against Waste Incinerator

31 March 2011

County councilors in Norfolk have stated that they wish to ignore the borough council referendum in February that saw 90% of the 65,500 people vote against the £600 million contract with Cory Wheelabrator for the proposed rubbish incinerator in King's Lynn.

The Borough Council may even lodge a formal complaint to the county council for ignoring the overwhelming opposition to the plan for a waste incinerator and is also contemplating on calling for a judicial review.

Speaking on the issue of not considering the "no" vote when the proposal was introduced in the planning committee, Mike Jackson, Norfolk county council's director of environment, transport and development, said: "We've made clear all along that we couldn't consider the outcome of the poll in the two formal decisions we have to make.

"We have a procurement decision to make and we have a planning decision to make in due course.

"Neither of those processes allow for the results of a local poll to determine those decisions."

In a referendum review that was conducted on Tuesday by the King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council's resources and performance panel, a resolution was passed that called the county council's stance a "perverse and perplexing decision."

The Borough Council's chief executive, Ray Harding, expressed his disappointment on the County Council's decision, saying: "I think it's really really sad if the County Council decides not to take account of the views expressed by that many people in West Norfolk."

"We have been absolutely astonished by the number of people who took part in the poll and how clearly they expressed their views."

According to a council spokeswoman, the incinerator has the capacity to burn 260,000 tonnes of waste a year and can produce enough power for 36,000 Norfolk homes, resulting in cost savings worth £8 million for the Council in terms of diverting rubbish from landfill.

The plan now stands to be examined again by the County Council's cabinet scrutiny committee on 19 April.

Krishna Buddhiraju