Despite huge opposition from concerned residents of Charnwood and the surrounding area, BIFFA has appealed against the Leicestershire County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission to build an enormous incinerator at Newhurst Quarry, off junction 23, M1.

BIFFA want to build the incinerator at the Newhurst site because the site is ideally located next to a major motorway network. Over 300 lorries per day would bring a variety of waste products from all across the UK to be incinerated here. The huge scale of the activity and easy road access, make the Newhurst site a commercially viable proposition for BIFFA.

But siting an incinerator at Newhurst would have a profoundly detrimental effect to the surrounding population and countryside.

BIFFA’s initial proposal was refused on the grounds of the negative visual impact the facility would have on the area. The truly enormous facility and its elevated position at the Newhurst site with the sky-scraping 96.5M high chimney flue would be visible for miles across Charnwood Forest - an area of outstanding beauty in Leicestershire.

But Charnwood residents are also deeply concerned about the potential deleterious health issues associated with incineration and the apparent failure of Leicestershire County Council and the Environment Agency to act in the best interests of public health and safety by refusing to allow incineration next to populated areas.

A precautionary approach has been adopted by many councils and governments worldwide because of the mounting research based evidence implicating incineration with cancers, poor lung health, neurotoxicity and a variety of environmental contaminants.

Unfortunately, Leicestershire County Council and the Environment Agency have not adopted this precautionary principle.