Incinerator protest brought to the County Council's door

4.50.33pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 27th Jan 2006

Lib Dem councillors Carla Butler and Pat Ost present letters to County Hall

Over 6,300 letters of objection to the Onyx incinerator plan arrived today at County Hall, Lewes, brought by members of DOVE, Friends of the Earth, and Newhaven, Seaford and Telscombe Cliffs Town Councils. Many more are expected to arrive before the close of the consultation period at 4.30 pm on Friday 27th January.

Objectors in Brighton and Hove have added their objection letters to the growing mountain of mail to be assessed letter by letter by the Planning staff at East Sussex County Council.

Cllr Pat Ost said 'No-one can be in any doubt regarding the strength of feeling about this application, which is widely seen as blighting the successful regeneration of Newhaven as a community. Businesses and residents alike are appalled at the cynicism shown in choosing this site, effectively dumping the whole of the waste problem created by Brighton and Hove, and East Sussex, into one small town which already has its fair share of problems'.

It is not known how long this process will take, or indeed when the application by Onyx will be heard by the Planning Committee of East Sussex County Council. Objectors feel strongly that there are so many problems with the application that it should be heard by an independent Planning Inquiry, and not by the authority that has already signed a contract with Onyx."