Public urged to speak out on Bishop's Castle Burner plan

Shropshire residents are being urged to question councillors about plans for a £5 million biomass burner.

Councillor Peter Phillips, who represents Bishop's Castle where planning permission has been given for the burner, has told people to give notice they want to speak at a crunch meeting of Shropshire Council cabinet next week.

Councillor Phillips has previously criticised the council for secrecy over the issue.

The scheme stalled last week after Shropshire Council's development scrutiny committee sent the decision to set aside land for the plant back to the authority's cabinet.

The council had provisionally accepted an offer from Bishop's Castle Biomass Power Ltd for land at Bishop's Castle Business Park. But this decision was called in by the scrutiny committee and referred back to cabinet although the reasons were not discussed in public.

The biomass issue is an exempt item on the agenda for the authority's next cabinet meeting, which will be held at the Shirehall in Shrewsbury at 12.30pm on October 13.

But Councillor Phillips said today: "The findings of the scrutiny panel can be discussed in public session and as always there is a public question time.

"This means people can lodge a statement or a question — but they must give notice at least two days in advance."

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