MP’s Disappointment over Rivenhall Incinerator Decision
Witham MP Priti Patel has expressed her disappointment with the decision made by the Environment Agency to grant a variation to their permit to allow the controversial Rivenhall waste incinerator to operate with a stack height of 35 metres. The permit relates to the emissions that will be caused by the operation of the incinerator. The decision aligns the permit to operate with the planning consent already granted. Priti has been campaigning with residents across the Witham constituency opposing the application and thousands of representations were made to the Environment Agency objecting.
Priti said: “This decision to grant the permit will cause huge levels of disappointment and anger across this part of Essex and beyond. Communities are extremely concerned about the impact the incinerator will have and the risks its operation poses to the environment and to health. I have made direct representations to the Environment Agency and it is frustrating to see this decision being taken after all the evidence and objections that have been submitted to them.”
“More than ten years ago, the last Labour Government granted planning permission for an incinerator to operate on this site and since that principle was established, we’ve seen a barrage of further applications come through. The community has come together to fight this development at every stage but that original decision from early 2010 has cast a dark shadow over this part of Essex and led to the outcome we now see from the Environment Agency.”