The £500 million contract between Gloucestershire council and the consortium of Spanish-owned waste management firm Urbaser and civil engineering firm Balfour Beatty was originally awarded in September 2012.
However, progress on the deal had stalled after a planning appeal into the consortium’s proposed development of a 150,000 tonnes-per-year capacity energy from waste plant at Javelin Park, near Haresfield to the south of Gloucester.
Earlier this month, the Department for Communities and Local Government gave its backing for the project, upholding the Planning Inspectorate’s decision that the development of the plant does not contravene planning policy (see letsrecycle.com story).
Opposition
Following the ruling, Gloucestershire councillors have reignited their opposition to the project, renewing calls for the contract between the authority and the contractors to be cancelled. The council’s Labour group has called an extraordinary meeting, at which councillors would discuss the future of the contract.
Labour councillor Lesley Williams, said: “Despite the widespread opposition, we are running out of options to stop this monstrosity from being built. We do not have the resources to launch a judicial review. Our only option is to ask councillors at the County Council to cancel the incinerator contract.”
However, the cost of exiting the deal appears to be a major stumbling block to opponents of the project, with councillor Jeremy Hilton, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat group now claiming that the cancellation of the deal could cost up to £100 million.
He said: “We have seen the figures for exiting the waste incinerator contract with UBB and it is astronomical. The figures quoted are between £60m and £100m, which is far greater than the £33m quoted for cancelling a similar contract in Norfolk.
“Labour have acted irresponsibly in calling to cancel this contract before knowing these costs. The Conservatives were reckless in signing such a rigid contract before the planning committee had even considered the application.
He added: “We will now be looking at these figures in detail and seeking legal advice.”
Opponents of the plant took to the streets of Stroud on Saturday (January 17) in protest against the development of the facility.
Register for free to comment