Public hearings set to start over Wisbech incinerator plan

Inspectors are holding an examination into proposals that will see MVV Environment construct the Medworth Incinerator near Wisbech.

The firm says the plant on Algores way would divert waste from landfill, generate over 50 megawatts of electricity and supply steam to heat local factories.

But both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire county councils are opposed to the scheme, along with West Norfolk and Fenland councils.

Concerns include levels of carbon dioxide, the impact of having more lorries on the road, and damage to historic sites and farms in west Norfolk.

A flyer produced by campaign group WisWin, which is opposed to the incinerator (Image: WisWIN)

A preliminary meeting, which will decide how the application should be examined, will be held from 10am on Tuesday, February 21 at the Boathouse Business Centre in Wisbech.

It will be followed by hearings at 10am and 6pm on Wednesday, February 22 and a session from 10am on Thursday, February 23.

Fenland council said there would be limited capacity for people to attend the meetings.

A live stream will be available via the Planning Inspectorate's website. 

An artist's impression of how the incinerator might look produced by MVV Environment (Image: MVV Environment)

The deadline for registering to speak at the hearings has now passed.

The Planning Inspectorate has up to six months to carry out the examination of the application, which is classed as "nationally significant".

It must then prepare a report on the application to the relevant secretary of state including a recommendation within three months.

The secretary of state then has three months to make the decision on whether the plant should be built.

Campaigners defeated proposals for an incinerator at Saddlebow, on the outskirts of King's Lynn, in 2014, after a long-running battle.

Norfolk County Council, which backed the plan, was left with a £30m bill.