VILLAGERS will tomorrow launch a final battle against building a £100m waste Incinerator on the outskirts of Bicester.

A public inquiry over waste firm Viridor’s plans to build the Incinerator, which will burn up to 300,000 tonnes of waste, in Ardley is due to start tomorrow at 10am.

Campaigners have urged people to register with the independent planning inspector if they want to have their say at the inquiry.

The public inquiry takes place at Cherwell District Council’s headquarters in Bodicote, Banbury and will last up to four weeks.

Jonathan O’Neill, chairman of Ardley Against the Incinerator, said: “It’s all about bums on seats. The villages have organised a rota for people to attend to show support. There is still time for people to send in an objection to the planning inspector.

“Everyone has worked so hard, written so many letters, but this is the final push. If we show the inspector there’s a huge feeling against this development he can take it on board with all the other arguments against it, and that can only be a good thing.

“We’ve been told there will be an opportunity for people to speak at the inquiry.”

He added: “The fight is here.”

The company’s first application for a facility to deal with the county’s non-recyclable waste was unanimously rejected last year by Oxfordshire County Council’s planning committee and Viridor opted to go to appeal.

The firm has submitted a second application and the consultation is now looming.

No changes have been made to the proposed capacity and size of the facility at Ardley, but the company said it had looked at the need for the facility and ways heat and power from the site could be utilised. It had also revised the landfill aspects of the scheme.

Mr O’Neill said: “The current consultation for the second application closes on July 8. It’s the same rally message, if you wrote in about the first application please write to Oxfordshire County Council about the second application.”

A spokesman for Viridor said: “We are following the appropriate process and are confident that both our refreshed application and the evidence we will provide at the inquiry are both comprehensive and will satisfy the requirements of the process.

“We accept people have the right to provide feedback and express their views.”

The county council refused to comment.