THE proposed Portland waste incinerator 'is of greater concern for Weymouth than it is for Portland,' according to town councillors - as claims about the plant producing 'renewable energy' were called into question amid the current national debate on climate change.

At a public meeting on Tuesday evening Weymouth Town Council's Planning committee considered the proposals, which are currently the subject of an Environment Agency public consultation.

Representations previously made by Powerfuel about producing renewable energy were brought into question after the Environment Agency updated briefing documents in line with Government policy to state that the incinerator would be classed as 'partially renewable,' and not 'renewable' as previously stated.

"This is an extremely significant change," said councillor Graham Lambert. "Powerfuel previously made all kinds of claims about their environmental credentials - we should bear that in mind at all stages."

While the EA has ruled that the current consultation is not looking at increased traffic to and from the plant, it will be considering a range of other issues including particle emissions - which, according to several members of the committee, is more of an issue for Weymouth than it is for Portland due to south and south-westerly wind directions from the island.

Dorset Echo: Picture: Powerfuel PortlandPicture: Powerfuel Portland

"The particles in the air that this will produce - which are potentially toxic - will affect the whole of Weymouth... I'm concerned about the risk to children," said councillor Jan Bergman. He cited previous concerns raised by Public Health Dorset and called for the organisation to comment further.

And the plans were further slammed as being "of absolutely no benefit whatsoever to the residents of Weymouth or Portland" by councillor Graham Winter - as waste will have to be imported into Dorset to fuel the plant.

"It seems illogical to me to bring rubbish into Portland by truck or by ship, messing up the local environment," he said. "I'm not anti-incinerators - but in this particular instance it's a money-making scheme, it seems to me."

Serious concerns were once again raised about traffic congestion and emissions from up to 40 heavy goods vehicles making two trips per day along Boot Hill - publicly available reports show it is already one of the worst local roads for air pollution.

As reported, Portland Town Council recently agreed to contribute funding towards an in-depth investigation into the proposal. Weymouth councillors agreed there is a need for independent scientific expertise in order to unpick the documents.

A public speaker at the meeting, retired architect Paula Klaentschi said she has studied the plans and questioned Powerfuel's statement on measures to prevent contaminated water ending up in the sea in the event of a fire.

She said that drawings provided by the company do not match up to the text, and that there is insufficient contaminated water storage provision.

"To have that level of error threatening our natural environment, it shows how crucial it is to read these documents with an informed eye," she added.

"We cannot entertain allowing documents to identify risks incompletely and then labelling those risks that have been partially identified as not being significant - this must not go unchallenged."

During the meeting several councillors said that in light of Portland Town Council's recent moves, they too wanted to consider making a financial contribution towards commissioning an independent investigation.

Proposing a motion to take the matter to a forthcoming Full Council meeting, cllr Graham Lambert said: "This is a Weymouth issue as much as it is a Portland issue."

The proposal was carried forward with four votes in favour, one against, and three abstentions.

Councils and other public bodies, as well as residents, are being asked to comment about the matter ahead of the consultation closing date next month.

  • How do I respond to the consultation?

You can view the permit application and supporting documents at consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/dt5-1pp-powerfuel-portland-limited

Comments can be submitted in a number of ways:

Online at consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/dt5-1pp-powerfuel-portland-limited

By email: pscpublicresponse@environment-agency.gov.uk

Paper copies are available at Weymouth library and Portland library

By post: Environment Agency Permitting and Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF.

Call 03706 506 506 if you cannot access the library documents or the online consultation

The deadline to respond is 5pm, September 22 2021.