29 November 2007 - The public inquiry into plans to build a waste incinerator at Newhaven has been halted - to allow Brighton and Hove and East Sussex councils to publish ’secret’ papers relating to the deal.

Press reports last month suggested that the councils had agreed to extend the proposed contract with the incinerator’s operator Veolia to help the firm out financially - but that they had agreed to keep councillors and members of the public in the dark.

And yesterday the Newhaven inquiry was dramatically halted when the inquiry’s adjudicator agreed it needed time to allow the councils concerned to publish the documents - and for all parties to fully digest the information.

The adjournment - which could mean the hearing doesn’t resume until after Christmas - has delayed the final day of evidence, which was due to be given by local MEP Caroline Lucas.

The proposals would be an environmental and financial disaster for Sussex - and could breach EU law, Dr Lucas was due to tell the inquiry. The European Commission has already launched an official investigation into the matter after Dr Lucas lodged an official complaint in September.

Dr Lucas, Green MEP for South-East England, has argued that the government should block the burner as it would increase pollution, traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, have an adverse impact on the adjacent South Downs Area of Natural Beauty and breach planning guidance and the agreed local plan.

Further, it would tie Brighton and Hove and East Sussex councils into a long-term contract to burn waste rather than re-use or recycle it - and, perhaps worst, it will cost the councils’ tax-payers millions to ensure its financial viability.

Speaking before her evidence was presented to the public inquiry, Dr Lucas said: "This scheme would be nothing less than an environmental and financial disaster for local people - and I hope this inquiry, which will focus on some of the planning issues, will prompt councillors to drop their support for the proposal.

"It will represent a departure from the local development plan and, I fear, breach EU planning law in a number of ways: in particular a secret agreement by the councils concerned to extend the contract between the incinerator’s private operator Veolia run counter to laws relating to transparency in financial dealings with public money.

"The deal represents an unlawful use of state aid too, and may place the whole scheme on the wrong side of laws governing Government rescue packages for firms facing difficulty."

Dr Lucas added: "We are drowning in a sea of waste and if we are to tackle it we must adopt strategies to cut the amount of waste we produce in the first place rather than the defeatist ‘predict and provide’ approach embodied in the decision to build this incinerator.

"There would simply be no need to incinerate waste at all if the Government had the commitment and courage to adopt a ‘zero waste strategy’ such as that employed successfully in Canada and parts of Australia."

ENDS