Chance to field questions to £160m Northampton power plant developers this afternoon

Plans for a £160 million power plant in St James will go on display today at a public meeting today.
Artist's impressions of the proposed power plant in St James.Artist's impressions of the proposed power plant in St James.
Artist's impressions of the proposed power plant in St James.

Rolton Kilbride is bidding to build a gasification plant at the Westbridge Depot in St James Mill Road.

But earlier this month the firm was told it had not carried out enough consultation to satisfy Northampton Borough Council it should grant them an option to develop the site.

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A campaign group, No Monster Incinerator in Northampton, has strongly objected to the plans on the grounds of its visual appearance and the effect it will have on air quality.

Today Rolton Kilbride will hold a public meeting to discuss the plans at the Doddridge Centre between 4.30pm and 9.30pm.

Labour’s Councillor for St James, Rufia Ashraf, has urged people to go along.

She said: “It is important that people sensibly engage in the process and put their point of view. Allowing all voices to be heard will ensure we have all the facts at our disposal.

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“I have many outstanding questions such as the impact on air pollution, number of vehicle movements and where the waste is coming from. “What is the target for reducing landfill if this goes ahead? There are many questions and we have not been given the answers.

“What is the case for a waste to energy plant in Northampton? There is one in Corby and in Milton Keynes, so why do we really need one in Northampton? It doesn’t make sense.”

Project spokesman for the power plant scheme, Ian Crummack, said: “Consultation is an essential part of the planning process and responding to the public is very much top of our agenda, as we continue to work on the proposal for the gasification facility. With that in mind, we agreed with St James Residents Association that another exhibition would be useful to help respond local residents’ concerns.

“Our intention is to work with the community and the councils to help people understand the project and the proposals.

“There are many distinct benefits to this technology, including not sending so much waste to landfill and providing a secure and renewable form of energy.”