Fifty more signatures needed in biomass campaign

More than 950 signatures have been gathered in the space of a week as part of a last-ditch attempt to stop a £5 million biomass plant being built in Bishop's Castle.

The petition is calling for the decision by Shropshire Council's cabinet to sell land at the town's business park to Bishop's Castle Biomass Power to be reversed.

The campaigners also want the process for tendering for the land to be reopened.

Now organisers are urging one final push to reach the 1,000 mark by the deadline of Friday. If protesters get 1,000 signatures they will be able to raise the issue at the next full meeting of the council on December 9.

Neil Hird, a member of the Bishop's Castle Group who launched the petition, described the response from the local area as "magnificent".

Members of Shropshire Council's cabinet last month upheld a decision to sell the land at Bishop's Castle Business Park, despite the authority's development services scrutiny panel recommending the tendering process should be reopened.

Mr Hird said: "The object is to get 1,000 signatures, which we think we will do comfortably, so this issue can be brought to the next meeting of Shropshire Council."

Council spokesman Simon Alton confirmed the campaigners would be able to trigger a debate on the issue if they reached 1,000 signatures.