Late SEPA move blasted by Perth councillor

Nov 17 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PERTH City Centre Councillor Peter Barrett yesterday welcomed the 11th hour objection by environment watchdog SEPA to the Shore Road incinerator plans.

But the Liberal/Democrat representative also blasted the late arrival of their letter opposing the controversial development.

He said yesterday: “It is good news that at last the Scottish Environment Protection Agency have examined all the issues and have lodged their objection to the incinerator.

“But frankly it beggars belief that it has taken them so long to do so. It is even worse that their objection was only received by the council after the report recommending refusal of the energy from waste plant was published.”

Bridgend Gannochy and Kinnoull Community Council have now requested that the council’s head of planning rewrites the report to accurately reflect SEPA’s response.

Prior to SEPA belatedly objecting to the proposed development on the grounds of site size, site selection, noise and odour control, Councillor Barrett wrote to the Scottish Government urging the Minister to intervene to ensure that SEPA did their job properly.

Councillor Barrett had raised concerns, expressed to him by the community council, that SEPA were “failing to discharge their duties” to examine all aspects of the incinerator application.

He added: “I wrote to the Environment Minister to make representation of the serious concerns of the local community and followed that up to highlight the urgent need for a full response from SEPA within the short timescale.”

Now that their response has been received, Councillor Barrett is adamant that the manner – and the time taken – for SEPA to scrutinise the incinerator application is investigated.

“SEPA have had six months to consider this matter. They have known, since the middle of September, that they have been able to examine all of the planning issues despite the previous outline consent.

“But they still failed to do so in their response, submitted in mid-October.

“And despite any reassurance that SEPA’s response now offers, their delay has added unnecessary and avoidable stresses and fears among the community.”