18 January 2006 - Brighton and Hove and East Sussex councils have been blocked from adopting a controversial waste management plan until the Government has considered a flood of objections.

The East Sussex Waste Local Plan (WLP) – which includes plans for an unpopular and potentially hazardous waste incinerator at Newhaven – was accepted by both councils at meetings last month.

But the Government Office of the South-East (GOSE), which must give its final approval to the WLP before it can be formally adopted, has decided to hold off making its final decision whilst it considers local objections.

Local Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas, who wrote to GOSE last week calling for the WLP to be called-in for a new public inquiry, was told ‘a holding direction has been sent to both East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council, preventing them from adopting the Waste Local Plan’.

Dr Lucas said: “I am glad the WLP has been put on hold while local objections are fully considered.

“Local campaigners say the councils largely ignored the results of the original public inquiry: it must be reopened to give the thousands – 8,000 people wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council alone - who have expressed objections to the incinerator proposal a chance to meaningfully air their views.

“The WLP as it stands is skewed towards meeting the terms of a 25-year £1bn waste management contract with Onyx – not the needs, or wishes, of local residents.

“It will tie the councils into burning waste for the next quarter-century when they could be promoting waste reduction and improved recycling, in line with both public opinion and environmental necessity.”

A amendment to the WLP which would have delayed the decision until objections were heard in full was proposed by Brighton and Hove’s Green Party councilors, but defeated by an ‘unholy’ alliance of Labour and Conservative members.

Dr Lucas added: “The WLP should have been drawn up before, not after, a long-term conbtract to operate an incinerator was signed with Onyx – but since that contract is now signed, we must not miss this chance to make East Sussex and Brighton and Hove a beacon of best practice on recycling and waste reduction.”

ENDS