The Oxford Mail has published a number of letters which call for an independent health inquiry in connection with Waste Recycling Group’s planning application for an Energy from Waste incinerator at Sutton Courtenay. The Health Protection Agency and the Environment Agency are the appropriate authorities to review the potential health impact from the facility and they have the resources to do so.

Now that the Environment Agency has received our Environmental Permit application for the proposed plant it will undertake its rigorous assessments in due course.

An EfW plant can only operate with a permit from the Environment Agency under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations. The operator must continuously monitor and report emissions from the plant and the EA has the power to close a plant if it breaches these.

In response to the extensive consultation following the submission of the planning application in 2008, Waste Recycling Group has reviewed the responses and has made a number of changes to the proposal.

Additional information addressing these comments has now been submitted to Oxfordshire County Council as planning authority, which will undertake a further round of public consultation in due course.

PAUL GREEN, Senior Development Manager, Waste Recycling Group, Northampton