Larkhall Community Council set to raise concerns over £50m waste incinerator

Sep 30 2010 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

LARKHALL Community Council are set to raise concerns about proposals for a controversial £50million waste incinerator.

A staggering 20,000 people have objected to plans for a gastification plant at Dovesdale Farm in Carlisle Road.

At last Monday’s meeting held in Glengowan Primary School, the community council decided they will make representation on the proposals to South Lanarkshire Council’s planning department.

Sheena Campbell, secretary of the community council, said they were concerned about the plant being built on greenbelt and the traffic impact on residents living near the development.

She added: “We need to have a think about representation and see how we are going to word it.

“Representation is not for or against the proposals but we have concerns.”

The community council came under fire from Dovesdale Action Group and residents at their August meeting for not objecting to Scotgen’s proposals.

Community council chairman Ally Dawson walked out of the meeting after a furious row erupted between community councillors and protestors.

Campaigners were angry the community council had waited until after the official closing date to submit their objections, apparently unaware the community council had received an extension to the deadline so they could debate the issue at their August meeting.

Afterwards, Mr Dawson said he closed the meeting before it got “completely out of hand.”

The former Accies gaffer revealed community councillors may, in fact, have voted in favour of objecting to Scotgen’s proposals.

But Dovesdale Action Group leaders were disappointed that the meeting was stopped before community councillors were given a chance to vote on objecting to the proposals.

No-one from Dovesdale Action Group went along to last week’s meeting.

The community council’s next meeting will take place in Glengowan Primary School on Monday, October 25, at 7pm.