Councillors have backed a controversial £150million incinerator project in Aberdeen despite claims from residents it is a “horrendous” health hazard.
Members debated the proposals for the energy from waste plant at East Tullos for six hours before voting 23-14 to grant planning permission.
Angry residents from the south of the city packed the public gallery – with Raymond Clarke of Cove Community Council pulling out a megaphone to shout his frustration about “disgraceful”.
The facility will take landfill waste from three local authority areas – Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray – which will be burned to generate heat and power.
It was claimed yesterday the incinerator was “vital” to help the city comply with tough national regulations which, from January 1, 2021, will ban Scottish councils from putting any biodegradable waste into landfill.
In addition to the 20 staff who will eventually manage the facility when it goes live in 2021, about 200 workers will be employed during construction.
Building work is scheduled to start in January 2019 and will mirror similar projects in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.
But objectors have consistently raised health and traffic concerns and highlighted the fact a lorry will enter or leave the plant every six minutes.
The incinerator will
have a 260ft chimney, which will tower over the site and surrounding area, close to a dense area of housing and Tullos school.
Before the debate started SNP members Jackie Dunbar and Graham Dickson left the chamber and did not take part in the vote or debate following legal advice.
Planning convener Ramsay Milne put forward a motion for the council to support the plant, saying the authority had to meet the Scottish Government landfill rules.
He added: “If you reject the proposals today the problem does not go away.”
He was seconded by Torry and Ferryhill member Alan Donnelly who said a visit to a similar plant in Dundee had reassured him.
He said: “All this talk about air quality and pollution is a fallacy. This is a £150million capital investment into our city and I’m afraid that too many members sit in their ivory towers without knowing the real hardships the city is going through.”
Councillor Barney Crockett added that the Swedish capital Stockholm had opened its first energy from waste plant in 1904 and that Aberdeen was “behind the game”.
But Kincorth, Nigg and Cove councillor Andrew Findlayson said the project should be rejected on the “loss of local amenity”.
He said: “If we grant permission we are asking parents to drop-off their children yards away from an incinerator. Would this be happening anywhere else in the city?”
He was backed by, among others, Kincorth, Nigg and Cove member Stephen Flynn, who said: “We are not talking about a small plant.
“It will be a massive plant in not just one of the poorest communities in Aberdeen but in Scotland.
“The pros don’t outweigh the cons.”
The vote was carried but the city council was unable to provide details of which way members voted last night.
Speaking afterwards Mr Milne said: “We listened carefully to the concerns raised very cogently by south of the Dee community councils and other members of the local communities.
“However, the energy from waste facility is underpinned by proven and safe technology and has the potential to provide renewable energy to heat homes, businesses and public buildings, helping address fuel poverty and provide jobs in the area.”
But objectors have vowed to continue their fight against the development.
David Fryer, chairman of Torry Community Council, said: “This is a bad decision for the city, not just for Torry. We are now considering every avenue available to challenge this decision”
Campaigner Betty Lyon said: “Its absolutely shocking. Aberdeen city cancer is what we will be getting, it’s a horrendous risk.
“They have not listened to our concerns. But this isn’t finished, we have a long road still to go and will challenge all the way.”