Envar Composting, which currently only processes organic waste at its site near Woodhurst, Huntingdonshire, has applied to build the UK’s first commercial Dry Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant which will be heated by burning clinical waste (planning reference number CCC/21/088/FUL).

There are several major problems with this project.

• First, burning waste which contains widely used plastics like PVC and other chlororganic compounds results in the production of highly toxic substances called dioxins. These chemicals will inevitably end up on farmland and as a result in the food chain (more information below).
• Second, HGV traffic to the site will inevitably increase and the local roads leading to the site are not suited for this - they are single carriageways with no shoulder and no potential for widening. The crossroads on which the site stands is an accident blackspot.
• Third, the site is located on a hill and according to the plans will feature a chimney 26 metres high which will change the landscape irreversibly.
• Fourth, because of the elevated location and regular strong winds in the area, the spread of toxic substances will be wider than it could be should the location be different.

If you are on Facebook, please join the POWI group (People Opposing Woodhurst Incinerator) for much more information and daily discussions.

DEADLINE for commenting 10 September 2021 !

You can object by commenting on the planning application. You can do this in five different ways:

1. Electronically via the Planning register (deadline 10 September 2021) - see instructions below.
2. By email - planningdc@cambridgeshire.gov.uk - this allows you to write more than the online comment box and you can attach docs. It is advised to be sensible about the length though.
3. By fax - 01223 475 998.
4. By post - County Planning, Minerals and Waste Team, Box SH1315, Shire Hall, Cambridge, CB3 0AP.
5. Delivery in person to Cambridgeshire County Council Reception.

Commenting on the application electronically:
1. Click on this link to Planning register of Cambridgeshire County Council (application CCC/21/088/FUL)
2. This is where you will land:

3. Click on the link that says "Comments (1)". This will take you to a page where you have to register and give your email address. You will receive a link in your email for you to click on and verify yourself.
4. You will be able to then return to the comments section, click on it, choose which points are relevant to this application in your opinion and add your own comments in the comment box.
Our practice has shown that it is best to first type the text of your objection in a text editor (like Word, OpenOffice, TextEdit, Notes etc) and then copy-paste it into the comment form. It times out after a while and you may lose everything that you’ve written so far.

Guide to writing your objection:
You can choose the following points to indicate the reasons for your objection and elaborate on them in the Comments field.

Below are just some suggestions for you to start from when composing your objection and you can of course select more points from the menu. If you need more details and are on Facebook, there is a lot more information and daily discussion in the POWI group (People Opposing Woodhurst Incinerator).

All accompanying documents can be downloaded from the Planning register website (link to the right of "Comments (1)" that says "Documents (51)").

• Affect local ecology

It is clearly stated in the planning application that toxic chemicals (dioxins, furans, PCBs etc) will be released into the air as a result of incineration. These chemicals will inevitably end up on farmland and as a result in the food chain. For more information on the chemicals see the Further Information section below.

• Close to adjoining properties

The site is only a few hundred metres away from: the Raptor Foundation (a unique sanctuary for birds of prey), Silks Farm Nursery and Preschool, Colne Heath Farm, Heath Fruit Farm, etc. Only a handful of residents and businesses received appropriate information from Envar about their plans and had a chance to have their say.

• Development too high

The proposed incinerator's chimney is 26 metres high. The site is on a hill 33 metres high. This means that the top of the chimney will be higher than the spire of All Saints Church in St Ives (46 metres high) and will be visible for miles around.

• Increase in traffic

The incinerator will be operational 24/7 and there will be an increase in the number of HGVs entering and leaving the site.

• Increase of pollution

See Affect local ecology above and Traffic or Highways below

• Information missing from plans

The site's position on a hill is not taken into account.

• Noise nuisance

Increased traffic and 24/7 operation will inevitably cause more noise in the area.

• Other - give details

There was very little public engagement and lack of community involvement - the Envar questionnaire was sent to 27 homes only.

• Out of keeping with character of area

The landscape will be visually impacted as explained above under Development too high and Close to adjoining properties.

• Traffic or Highways

The roads leading to the site are single carriageways with no shoulder and no potential for widening. The crossroads on which the site stands is an accident blackspot. Any extra HGV traffic on this road will inevitably lead to increased maintenance costs for the County Council and increased risk of accidents.