Dovesdale goes against Scottish Government's own zero waste plan

7.42.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 30th Jul 2010

Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, has stated that he believes the Dovesdale incinerator goes against the Scottish Government’s own Zero Waste Plan and is seeking answers from Ministers on the issue.

Mr Hume said:

“Whilst there may be some small place in the grand scheme of waste reduction, recycling and disposal for energy from waste plants, they should only be used for the small percentage of waste that can only be processed in this way and only where there is a proven, direct and significant energy benefit.

“They certainly should not be seen as a quick fix to the landfill problem.

”It seems to be quite clear that in this particular case, the proposal breaches local planning policies and is not an appropriate development for the countryside. Indeed, the Scottish Government's own Zero Waste Plan states that ‘potential sites should only include industrial areas; degraded, contaminated or derelict land; working and worked out quarries; sites that have the potential to maximise the potential for the re-use of waste heat through co-location with potential heat users; existing or redundant sites or buildings that can be easily adapted; existing waste management sites, or sites that were previously occupied by waste management facilities’.

“People might argue that the Dovesdale site's easy access to the main road infrastructure is a justification for this application, but local planning policy breaches should certainly not be overshadowed by roadside convenience.

“I believe that there are significant grounds for this application to be refused and will be preparing a letter to the Council in the coming days. I would urge anyone else to do the same.”