Hundreds at power site meeting

More than 200 people crowded into a public hall last night to voice their opposition to a planned £5 million power plant in a town near Ludlow.

People attended a public meeting at The Regal, in Tenbury Wells, to oppose plans to build a wood-fired power station on Tenbury's Bromyard Road Business Park.

The meeting was arranged by the Tenbury Action Group, which has called for the proposal to be scrapped.

Oxfordshire-based developer Chris Day and Worcestershire County Council staff put the case for the scheme, while Phil Wakeman, chairman of the Action Group, raised some of the many concerns that had been raised by local people.

Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Candidate for West Worcestershire, also attended. Mr Wakeman said: "It was great that so many people came. The meeting did get a bit lively at times, but a plan to build a power station near a residential area is bound to create strong feelings."

During the evening, questions were asked about how the power station would be connected to the National Grid. It was explained that a cable would run beneath the road, from the business park to Burford.

The crowd heard work would take six months because the cable would be laid in 100-metre sections.

Traffic lights would be used to control traffic.

Local resident Lucy Dell, who runs a business in the Teme Valley, said: "Six months of roadworks would hit local shops badly. People would simply shop elsewhere. This could kill off a number of local businesses."

The plant would create eight jobs but objectors said more conventional businesses would lead to more employment.