AN action group fighting a controversial £120 million incinerator planned for Hartlebury, near Kidderminster, is having one last push for support before a public inquiry this month.

Worcestershire Residents Against Incineration and Landfill (WAIL) will stage a public meeting on Monday at Hartlebury Parish Hall at 7.30pm before the eight-day inquiry begins on Tuesday, November 22, at County Hall in Worcester.

Both sides are gearing up for the fight – WAIL has raised tens of thousands of pounds for legal and planning experts, while applicant Mercia Waste says it welcomes the inquiry into the EnviRecover scheme.

Ray Kirby, WAIL’s chairman, said the group had been “diligently” examining proof of evidence supplied by Mercia and its case would be decided by concentrating on issues raised by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles.

He said: “WAIL are confident that they have a robust and undeniable case to put forward and are delighted that our arguments will be heard in full, unlike the planning meeting in March where we were allowed only five minutes to put across our main objections to a complex issue.

“We have been overwhelmed with the scale of support we have received across the community”

Mercia director John Plant said: “The start of the public inquiry into our proposals to create an energy-from-waste facility at Hartlebury Trad-ing Estate is an important step for a facility that is critical to the effective and environmentally and economically sustainable management of waste in the county.

“We will present all the evidence required to answer the questions raised by the Secretary of State and we are confident that the inquiry will recognise that EnviRecover will deliver an appropriate, robust and sustainable waste management solution for the local authorities, one that brings added benefits through generating renewable energy, and stimulating the local economy.”

Anyone wishing to contact the planning inspectorate can do so via Alan Ridley, Room 4/02 Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN, or by calling 01173 728933.