Mayor Dave: Incinerator Approval 'Rides Roughshod' Over Local Communities
Mayor Dave Hodgson has slammed the Environment Agency's decision to award a permit for the giant Covanta waste incinerator, describing it as 'riding roughshod' over local communities.
Commenting on his Facebook page, Mayor Dave said:
"The Environment Agency's approval of the permit for the incinerator near Stewartby is another decision which rides roughshod over local communities. That's been a recurring theme ever since Bedfordshire Conservatives identified Rookery South Pit near Stewartby as their preferred incinerator location.
Alongside residents we've made a powerful case against the plant at every stage, taking the fight through planning, through parliament and wherever it has taken us. But a series of unaccountable bodies, remote politicians and complacent regulatory agencies have combined to let local people down.
The scale of it is mind-blowing: 594 lorry journeys over local roads every day, bringing nearly 600,000 tonnes of waste per year. Bedford Borough Council collected just 38,000 tonnes of black bin waste last year, for goodness sake!
There is simply no need for a monstrous regional-scale rubbish burner here. It's scandalous that it's been waved through at every stage, in the face of the evidence and of overwhelming local opposition."