Crowdfunding campaign from Cambridge Without Incineration as MP intervenes over planning meeting
Residents in Waterbeach are opposed to Amey Cespa's £200m waste incinerator plan
The intervention of South Cambridgeshire Tory MP, Heidi Allen, has prompted the county council to scrap its plans to host a controversial incinerator meeting outside of Cambridge.
Residents in Waterbeach were left fuming after Cambridgeshire County Council announced plans to host the planning meeting at South Cambridgeshire District Council’s offices in Cambourne rather than the usual venue of Shire Hall.
It prompted concerns that not as many residents would be able to get to the meeting.
But Ms Allen’s involvement has persuaded the council to undertake a U-turn and the meeting will now take place at Shire Hall at 10am on September 17.
Ms Allen said: “I am delighted the council have listened to the residents’ concerns. Several residents expressed concerns about the application being heard in Cambourne instead of central Cambridge.”
The MP has already made clear her objections to Amey Cespa’s plans to build the giant waste incinerator at Waterbeach, as has her Conservative colleague Lucy Fraser, MP for South East Cambridgeshire.
Ms Allen said: “A great number of my constituents from Cottenham and surrounding areas have contacted me expressing their grave concerns about the Waterbeach incinerator plan.
“I urged constituents to engage with the planning process and attend the information sessions provided by the council so that they could understand fully the potential implications of this application being given the go-ahead.
“Following these sessions, constituents continued to be alarmed by the prospect of the incinerator potentially affecting their quality of life.
“Given the groundswell of opinion and evidence presented to me about the potential impacts of this application, I therefore agreed to submit an objection.”
Meanwhile, a campaigner for the CBWIN – Cambridge Without Incineration – group, 18-year-old Jasmine Seamarks, began a crowdfunding campaign aimed at paying for an Independent Landscape Review.
Jasmine, who won a bronze medal as part of the 4 x100m mixed relay at the Deaflympics in Turkey last year, has almost reached her £500 target.
She said: “I am probably one of the youngest supporters of CBWIN.
“The size of the planned 250,000-tonne incinerator on the outskirts of our village is massive.”
She pointed out that even if you ignored the 80-metre high chimney stack, the main building will be 40 metres high.
“The building will be right next to the new planned housing development, and right across the road from Denny Abbey, an English Heritage site,” she added.
“CBWIN want to commission an independent landscape review. This costs in the region of £5,000 but we will get an interim report at £2,000.”
A spokesman for Amey Cespa said the company were aware of the crowdfunding appeal but added: “We would prefer not to make any comment at this moment in time.”
To support the crowdfunding appeal, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/waterbeach/.
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