Incinerator battle court costs were £26,975
by Vikki Thomas
vikkithomas@trinitysouth.co.uk
SURREY County Council incurred court costs of almost £27,000 during its High Court battle against anti-incinerator campaigners, it has been revealed.
The court action, which was lost by the county council last November, gave victory to the Capel Action Group (CAG), but the costs have only now been disclosed.
The sum of
£26,975 "entirely relating to the Capel judicial review" was
disclosed last week.
The case humiliated the county council after
Mr Justice Sullivan gave campaigners the news they had been hoping for and
quashed the council's resolution to grant planning permission for the waste
burner at the Clockhouse Brickworks site.
Passing
judgment, Judge Sullivan overturned the decision of the planning and regulator
committee which granted planning permission in December 2001.
County Hall
was ordered to pay £105,000 in costs to the
CAG after Judge Sullivan ruled that the council had misapplied the policies in
its Waste Local Plan (WLP) of 1997 with regard to the definition of existing
waste use.
Total CAG
costs amounted to £140,000
and after Surrey County Council was ordered to pay the majority, the rest was
funded by private donators. -
Dino Adriano
from CAG said: "The real message is that the complicated judicial review
cost the council taxpayer a lot of money.
"We hope
the county council can learn from their mistake"
Councillor
Julian Shersby (Con, Capel, Leigh and Newdigate), who contributed funds to the
CAG, said it was unfortunate Surrey County Council taxpayers had to bear part
of the legal costs.
He said:
"It is disappointing that the county council chose to pursue their
decision and spend a substantial amount of. money doing so.
"It is
a shame Surrey County Council taxpayers, including those people m Mole Valley,
have seen an increase in their council tax.”
Incinerators
have caused a great deal of controversy as a method of dealing with waste.
Friends of
the Earth say incineration plants are hugely unpopular with local communities.
A MORI poll
undertaken in the southeast found people did not want to see recyclable
materials sent up in smoke.
They believe
incinerators prevent recycling and compost targets being met.
Brenda
Pollack, regional campaigns co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth, said: 'Such
an outdated, inflexible technology will not help the region deal with its waste
in the most environmentally sound way.
"By allowing more incinerators in the strategy,
recycling and compost targets are in real danger of not being met."
THE question of what to do with Surrey's
waste mountain is the subject of a public consultation due to end next week
The Surrey Local Government Association (SLGA) said it is receiving an interesting range of responses to its consultation on a draft waste strategy suggesting how Surrey will deal with its waste in future.
But it wants more and is reminding people
that the consultation period does not end until next Friday.
Councillor Geoff Woodger, chairman of the
SLGA, said: "The future of waste is a really important issue for everyone
in the county
"This strategy will help shape key
decisions which will affect residents for the next 20 years.
"This is a vital moment in the
development of policy, and we hope that as many people as possible will
comment. Their views are important."
Copies of
the draft strategy, entitled An Integrated Waste Management Strategy for Surrey,
are available for inspection in council offices and public libraries, and on
the website www.surreywaste.info
Short
summaries are also available.
Comments should he sent to: Surrey Local
Government Association, c/o Woking Borough Council, Civic Offices, Woking GU21
6YL or emailed to: slgawaste@woking.govuk