Fears potential compulsory purchase of land for incinerator could jeopardise Wisbech rail
Businesses, emergency services, MPs and individuals have all lined up to object against a proposed mega-incinerator in Wisbech.
And leading the charge is Network Rail who fears plans by German-based MVV Environment Ltd to compulsory buy up land to accommodate the 54 megawatt burner off Algores Way will impact on its plans to reopen the Wisbech railway.
Network Rail, which is responsible for running the country's rail infra-structure, is among 666 individuals, groups and businesses who have registered an interest in having a say on the proposals - with only a handful in support.
The developer has told the Government's Planning Inspectorate - which will have the final say on whether or not the incinerator gets built - that it may need to compulsory purchase land around its chosen site to accommodate the burner.
Network Rail owns 13 plots of land in the vicinity and it says MVV wants to forcibly buy 12 of them and that says the rail operator includes operational railway land which forms part of the disused but operational March to Wisbech line.
And it adds: "Although the line is currently not in use, Network Rail intends to reopen the line in the near future."
There are also concerns that the developer, who says the incinerator scheme has been designed so as not to prevent the line reopening, proposes running an overground pipeline along the eastern edge of the line.
Network Rail has "concerns around the safety aspect of running the pipeline alongside an operational railway."
Network Rail says it objects to the use of compulsory purchase powers in respect of its land, which it says it needs for its own statutory undertaking and says there is no "compelling case in the public interest" for the Secretary of State to allow the use of compulsory powers and that if it goes ahead it will have a "serious detriment" to Network Rail's undertaking and adds no other land is available for it to use.
National Highways has similar objections with the incinerator company wanting to use compulsory acquisition powers on 42 plots of land it owns for the purposes of routing cabling and water pipes beneath the A47.
This, National Highways, which is responsible for maintaining the country's major road network, raises a number of "geotechnical concerns due to ground conditions."
Other objectors include the area's ambulance service, with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust warning the incinerator "is likely to have significant impact on its operations, service capacity and resources"and said the developer would need to provide funding and new ambulance facilities.
Many of the individuals who have registered to have a say have raised concerns over traffic, pollution and the impact the incinerator will have on the town.
Ginny Bucknor, of the anti-incinerator campaign group Wisbech Without Incineration (WisWIN), said: "WisWIN thanks the over 600 residents, businesses, Government agencies and councils who registered with the Planning Inspectorate and gave their individual concerns.
"Many people thought that the railway would be coming back to support the incinerator but clearly with the amendments MVV made after the close of comments, they want to acquire 12 parcels of land currently owned by Network Rail.
"Network Rail made significant objections. One of the many concerns raised by residents and highlighted by a Wisbech drainage board was the lack of carbon capture and storage. We are surrounded by fields growing food for Britain and the pollution this incinerator would bring to agriculture would be wholly unacceptable."