CAMPAIGNERS against a planned waste incinerator four miles from Ilkley Moor are urging people to have their say as the deadline approaches on a public consultation.

Endless Energy (EE) was granted planning permission by Bradford Council in February 2017 for a waste incinerator on the old Keighley Gas Works site. EE has now applied for an operating license from the Environment Agency (EA) who are examining the detailed proposals to ensure it will not have an undue impact on the environment or human health. The EA public consultation closes on Thursday, December 13 and members of campaign group Aire Valley Against Incineration (AVAI) are urging Ilkley residents to have their say.

Ros Brown, a Ben Rhydding parent and AVAI steering group member said: “The Environment Agency must hear the concerns of local people. Please do not leave it to other people to act on your behalf.

“We already have over-capacity in this country for incineration. In January local MPs John Grogan and Philip Davies presented together evidence to the House of Lords showing the monitoring of incinerators in the UK over the past 19 years has been utterly inadequate for telling the public the truth about particle emissions. In addition, when Professor Ian Boyd, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as well as Philip Hammond in his budget are saying incineration is not the right direction of travel, due to its negative impact on recycling, we must act to prevent more local pollution, global warming and the burning of valuable recyclable materials. We all now have a final chance to voice our concerns about these areas. Thank you to local residents who wrote to object in 2017. Please act again now.” Ideas and help with emailing or writing to the EA are available from AVAI.org.uk

The application can be found at: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/bd21-4lw-endless-energy-limited/ It is also available at the EA’s public register at the EA office at: Lateral, 8 City Walk, Leeds, LS11 9AT. To view the application at the Leeds’ office the public should call the Environment Agency’s customer contact centre on 03708 506 506 to arrange an appointment between 9.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.