VILLAGERS have submitted a dossier of questions about a plan to build a rubbish incinerator near their homes.

Bucknell Parish Council has sent Oxfordshire County Council 23 questions regarding plans for the plant in Ardley, near Bicester.

Waste management company Viridor had applied for planning permission to build the £100m facility, which would burn up to 300,000 tonnes of waste a year.

The parish council has asked the council – which will decide whether to give Viridor the go-ahead – how it would deal with an emergency and who would be responsible for any health problems linked to waste incineration. Villagers are also seeking assurances that there would be no airborne contamination and that the transport of any toxic materials would be safe.

And they want to know if they would be eligible for compensation if their property values dropped because of the plant.

Mark Gammond, acting parish council chairman, said: “Because of Bucknell’s close proximity to the proposed Ardley incinerator, our parishioners are gravely concerned about the possible health risks, and this concern is widespread throughout the community.

“It must also be stressed that there are health risks associated with a major incident or a disaster scenario. The consequences of these could be much more severe than the risks of day-to-day operations.”

A spokesman for Viridor said: "We carried out comprehensive public consultation about our proposals prior to submitting our planning application, and throughout the process we have responded to all questions local residents and other stakeholders submitted to us.”

The county council is expected to make a decision in July over which of two proposed sites, Ardley or Sutton Courtenay, will get an incinerator.

A county council spokesman said: “We aim to look at the questions posed by Bucknell Parish Council, along with others, regarding the Ardley incinerator proposals at a planning and regulation committee meeting in the summer.”

bicester@oxfordmail.co.uk