Grundon claim local disinterest in waste plant

Feb 9 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

WASTE plant developer Grundon yesterday claimed there had been “a complete lack of interest” in the realities of a £100 million incinerator plan for Perth’s Shore Road.

The firm pointed out that the governor of Perth Prison, Bridgend Gannochy and Kinnoull Community Council (BGKCC) and Perth and Kinross Council officers and members declined an invitation to tour a fully operational energy-from-waste plant south of the border.

In a letter to the community council, Grundon director of estates Bob Nicholson said the company strongly believed local resistance to the project was “carefully cultivated by significant misrepresentation”.

He pointed out that bigger plants than the one being proposed for Perth continued to be designed, built and operational within urban environments in the UK and across Europe.

“If these new, purpose-designed plants are as lethal as your ‘experts’ suggest, why haven’t the relevant regulatory authorities closed them down?” Mr Nicholson asked.

“Instead, they continue to operate cleanly and safely, providing sustainable, non fossil fuel power and heat.”

His comments came in response to a plea from BGKCC to withdraw “gracefully” their plans for Shore Road, having gauged the “tremendous” strength of feeling which had built up.

Chairman Brian Raine warned they were prepared to take the fight all the way to the European Court if necessary.

Reflecting on Grundon’s move, revealed in Friday’s PA, to appeal a PKC development control committee decision to refuse reserved matters for the Shore Road planning application, a company spokeswoman defended the case for a public inquiry.

“The officers should have been fully aware of the relative size and type of building we were proposing – by reference to the Shetland example – when they approved the outline planning application,” she said.

“It would not have been a ‘surprise’ to them, as they subsequently claimed. The views out across the South Inch parkland are already interrupted by industrial buildings and vegetation.

“Historic Scotland concluded that the impact of the plant would be of only moderate significance to Perth Prison and did not object.

“Ironically, the Scottish Prison Service itself demolished an A-listed building within the prison, despite an initial objection by Historic Scotland – which they subsequently withdrew with ‘considerable regret.’

“Our legal advice is that as our application was only for the approval of reserved matters we did not need to consider alternative sites.

“It seems somewhat contradictory that the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency made the same objections at Binn Farm, but council officers still granted permission despite objections from local residents.”

Grundon maintain they were “severely disadvantaged” by the lack of time given to discuss SEPA’s objection before the November development control committee.

And she added: “Many of the more complex issues raised were not dealt with competently because we were not given the opportunity to rebut some of the obvious misinformation that had been fed to members.”