Merseyside waste plan protests prompt extension of consultation period

Jan 14 2009 by Sue McCann, Bromborough and Bebington News

A DELUGE of protests and comments about plans to earmark parts of Merseyside for incinerators and landfills has led to the extension of a public consultation.

People across Merseyside have been asked to give their views on a waste plan since November on a “long list” of sites deemed suitable for “thermal treatments” of waste.

Three of the sites included the list of 11 are in Wirral, two each are in Liverpool, Knowsley and Halton, and St Helens and Sefton have one each.

But several authorities, including Wirral, Knowsley and Liverpool, have moved to block incinerators and made objections to the list of 11 sites. Now the initial six-week long public consultation has been extended to nine weeks and will end on January 16.

The objections and comments from councils and residents will be incorporated into the final list of sites that could then be made suitable for incinerators and landfills over the next 20 years.

Planning applications will then be looked at on their merits before real proposals take place.

The government requires local councils to find more sustainable and cost-effective ways of managing waste.

In response, all six districts in Merseyside and Halton have joined forces with a joint document to tackle the waste problem.

The Waste DPD Spatial Strategy and Sites Report will be available in libraries and council buildings as well as available online until January 16, or from 934 2804 for a paper copy.