When will decision on Wisbech incinerator be announced?

A recommendation has now been sent to the secretary of state who will decide if the plant proposed for the outskirts of Wisbech by MVV Environment will get the go-ahead.

The recommendation - which comes after a number of public hearings, site inspections and a wide-ranging consultation - will remain confidential until a final decision has been made.

MVV wants to burn 500,000 tonnes of waste a year at Algores Way, off Weasenham Lane.

An artist's impression of the proposed incinerator on the outskirts of Wisbech (Image: MVV Environment)

The site is close to the Thomas Clarkson Academy, Ramnoth Junior School and the College of West Anglia's Wisbech campus, while land nearby has been earmarked for hundreds of new homes.

But plans for the £300m plant have been met by strong concerns over health and the environment.

The Planning Inspectorate said: "The examining authority is due to send their recommendation report to the Secretary of State on November 21. The secretary of state will then have three months in which to make a decision.

"However, the recommendation report will not be published until the secretary of state’s decision is published."

A flyer produced by campaign group WisWIN (Image: WisWIN)

The recommendation will go before Claire Coutinho, the new secretary of state for energy.

Cambridgeshire and Norfolk county councils both oppose the plan, along with Fenland and West Norfolk - which led the successful campaign against an incinerator at Saddlebow, on the outskirts of nearby King's Lynn, which was abandoned in 2014.

MVV says it would divert waste from landfills, generate more than 50 megawatts of electricity and supply steam to heat factories close to the site.

But there are also concerns about the number of lorries needed to feed the plant, along with noise and light pollution.