OBJECTORS to a proposed incinerator in Canford staged a demonstration outside the town hall. 

The group gathered during BCP Council’s western planning committee meeting on November 7 and were briefly joined by Bournemouth’s mayor George Farquhar. 

Although the controversial planning application was recommended for approval by planning officers, the development never got the thumbs up at a meeting in September. 

Instead, a decision was pushed back to a later date after planning officer Gareth Ball said there were “various issues within the legality” in reaching a decision when the meeting was called. 

At the protest, Ralph Doe, a retired bookshop owner from Charminster, said: “The government’s published plans are to halve residual, non-recyclable, waste by 2042.  

“The Canford facility has an operational lifetime of approximately 40 years, during which BCP Council could be contractually obliged to provide waste to be burnt.  

“The operational lifetime of the incinerator would extend roughly 24 years - depending on when it became operational - beyond the date where our council would, to meet its share of the national government targets, have to halve its own waste.” 

Doug Skinner, chair of environmental group Planet Purbeck, added: “An incinerator has already been granted planning permission at Chapel Lane in Parley which has the capacity of incinerating 60,000 tons of waste per year, with plans to increase this to 105,000 tonnes.  

“Planning permission has also been granted for an incinerator at Portland with a capacity for 202,000 tonnes of waste to be burnt per year.  

“If the planning application for the Canford incinerator is successful, capacity in Dorset will be increased by a further 260,000 tonnes of waste per year.” 

The government recently overturned a refused planning application for Portland’s incinerator – which Dorset Council said would not take legal action against. 

Canford resident Rick Larcombe said: “Building another incinerator is a big step backwards in our fight against climate change. 

“Instead of investing in unsustainable waste management practices, we should be prioritising recycling, composting and reducing waste at the source." 

Paul Carey, managing director of the applicant, said: “MVV believes their proposals will provide a more sustainable solution for the management of the region’s residual waste, turning it into useful energy, some of which can be used locally.”