Legal expert to be hired in Shrewsbury incinerator fight

A legal eagle or an expert planner will be hired to fight an appeal by waste firm Veolia over its controversial proposed £60 million incinerator in Shrewsbury.

Members of Shrewsbury Town Council have backed plans to draft in a professional representative to put forward the authority's case not to have the burner built at a site in Battlefield.

Councillor Alan Mosley today said it would also support Shropshire Council's strategic planning committee as it defends its decision to refuse planning permission for the incinerator.

An appeal is set to be heard at the council chambers at Shirehall in September to decide the fate of the incinerator, the result of which will be known by December.

Councillor Mosley said: "I proposed that given the levels of local opposition it's vital that the town council represents the majority of local residents in doing all it can to support Shropshire Council planners in opposing the appeal.

"What I suggested was that we seek to be represented at the appeal either by an expert planner or by a legal expert so that our case is presented in the strongest possible manner."

Councillor Mosley said the town council's members had unanimously agreed to support his proposal at a meeting last night.

He said: "Helen Ball, the town clerk, is going to take action to identify the most effective means by which the town council can oppose the appeal in September."

Veolia claims its proposed burner at Battlefield Enterprise Park could generate enough power to supply 10,000 homes, as well as reducing the amount of waste going to landfill to just five per cent.

The planning committee rejected the plans after members felt an incinerator next to the historically significant Battlefield site was visually inappropriate.

By Russell Roberts