Controversial incinerator bid boosted

A CONTROVERSIAL bid to build an incinerator in Suffolk was boosted today following news that more than £100million in funding has been secured.

The subsidy of £102million from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), will cover around half the cost of building the waste burning facility, which is earmarked for a site in Great Blakenham.

The total cost of the project, spread over 28 years, is estimated at more than £600 million.

Repeated calls have been made for a public inquiry on the issue over health concerns and the way in which the preferred site was selected.

Bryn Griffiths, assistant director for environment at Suffolk County Council, said; "I am pleased that Suffolk has been given such a substantial subsidy to build the waste treatment facility.

"Now that the funding has been agreed, the next stage is to ask contractors to signal their interest in submitting tenders for building and operating the facility.

“We will be publishing a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union to alert interested companies of the opportunity.

“The building of the new facility will be a good choice for the council tax payer as it will avoid the rapidly increasing taxes the Government is placing on the use of landfill.

"Suffolk needs to find a solution to deal with waste that is leftover after recycling and composting. We have announced that Energy from Waste is our preferred solution for Suffolk, but we are open minded about other technologies if a tender comes forward with an alternative suitable technology.

"The provision of such a substantial subsidy demonstrates that the Government has confidence in our plans to divert waste away from environmentally damaging solution of burying Suffolk's waste at landfill sites.”