Fiona Bruce MP raises question with Prime Minister over Middlewich Incinerator
Fiona Bruce MP for Middlewich challenged the Prime Minister this week in Prime Minister’s Question Time as her latest action in her long running fight on behalf of Middlewich residents against plans by American company Covanta to build an incinerator the size of a football pitch 500 metres from the centre of town.
Plans for this incinerator have already been unanimously rejected by Cheshire East Council’s Local Planning Board. Their decision to stop the incinerator has been appealed by Covanta to the Secretary of State for Planning and Local Communities whose decision is due mid-July.
Fiona Bruce told the Prime Minister
“My constituency has a high recycling rate—the Best in the North-West—so does the Prime Minister believe it right for a huge waste-burning incinerator to be built there? The incinerator was rejected by the Local Planning Board, is overwhelmingly opposed by my constituents in Middlewich and would involve transporting lorry-loads of waste hundreds of miles across the country. Will he do what he can to prevent an inappropriate development that surely cannot be called environmentally sustainable or an example of true localism?”
The Prime Minister responded as follows
“I completely understand my hon. Friend’s concern; she is right to raise this issue and I can understand her disappointment that the Local Planning Board’s decision was appealed against. As she knows, however, appeals against a decision on such a planning application can be made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. She can make her views clear. It would be inappropriate to prejudge any decision that he might take, but obviously there is a need to take into account the size and scale of any proposed development and to consider the potential effect on any local community. I am sure that she will want to make those points.”
Speaking in the House of Commons this week Fiona Bruce said:
“This issue is so important for Middlewich people that I have been absolutely determined since my election as MP for Middlewich over two years ago to do everything possible to stop this incinerator. I have of course over those two years made all the points I and the Prime Minister referred to – as well as many other points – including in evidence to the public inquiry. All of this information is now with the Secretary of State whose decision we await. The most I could do at this stage was to raise it with the Prime Minister and this I have done.”
