CONCERNS have been raised about the possibility of an incinerator being built at Hartlebury, near Stourport-on-Severn.

We reported yesterday on the unveiling of plans for the plant, which would turn unrecyclable waste from Worcestershire and Herefordshire into enough electricity to power a small town.

Outlining the plan, a Mercia Waste Management director said people living nearby would not see, hear or smell anything from the EnviRecover incinerator.

However, members of Wychavon District Council, which serves Hartlebury, have expressed serious worries about the proposals.

Councillor Muriel Matthews, who represents the village, said: “This announcement has come as a complete shock. I expect people to be horrified.”

Councillor Anna Mackison, board member for the environment, said: “While we expected an Energy From Waste solution for the counties in some form, this chosen site will require proper evaluation.

“Wychavon already hosts a landfill site at Hill and Moor, near Pershore, and the new Envirosort plant at Norton, just south of Worcester.

“It seems inequitable that we should now be asked to host yet another one and deal with all the municipal waste for the two counties.

“There is a waste plant already in the area privately run by Biffa.”

If the plans for the Hartlebury incinerator are given the go-ahead then the £120 million incinerator would be built on a vacant plot at Hartlebury Trading Estate.

The incinerator, running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, would take up to 200,000 tonnes of waste each year left over after recycling and composting.

It would use it to generate 15.5 megawatts of renewable energy – enough for 20,000 homes.

The plant would also create heat which could be used by businesses on the industrial estate.

It would be sunk eight metres (24ft) into the ground and stand 35 metres (115ft) above ground.

A planning application is expected to be submitted by Mercia Waste Management next March.