PRESSURE is building for Warrington Borough Council to provide more information about the controversial proposals to build a waste incinerator in the borough.
A series of questions have been tabled for next week’s meeting of the council by environmental campaign John 
Mulhall, under the provisions for members of the public to ask questions at full council meetings.
In June, Council Alan Litton, executive member for environment services, (pictured) indicated that an Energy from Waste facility for Warrington would be implemented by 2015 but that a site had not yet been identified.
He said a “long list” of all potential sites would be produced, followed by a short list of the most suitable sites.
Mr Mulhall will ask when the long and short lists will be produced and consultation with the public carried out.
He will also ask how long it will take planners to reach a decision once a planning application is submitted, how long any public inquiry might take, what time scale is envisaged for the submission of final plans and now long the Environment Agency are likely to take giving final approval.
He also wants to know how long it will take to build the plant and how long commissioning and site trials will take.
Mr Mulhall also asks if the council has a plant operator in mind, given that the incinerator is due to be operational by 2015.
He is known to be sceptical that the plant can be operational by then, unless a site has already been earmarked.
There has been speculation for months over where the plant could be located. Assurances have been given that it will not be on the Omega development site.
One possible location is at Gatewarth – already the site of one of the biggest landfill sites in the North West – and another is adjoins the Fiddler’s Ferry power station.
In June, Coun Litton said all members of the council would be consulted once a shortlist of sites had been produced and before any final decision is taken.
The council has already carried out a major public consultation on the strategy.
This showed that 65.71 per cent of people who responded are in favour, or strongly in favour of the incinerator.
But 10.72 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed with it – and there was opposition also from Warrington Friends of the Earth.
They would prefer the council to invest in Mechanical and Biological Treatment of Waste, with separate food waste collections. But the council says it has investigated this and found it to be more costly and involving technology not yet fully proven.
