KEIGHLEY’S MP has formally objected to the operation of a controversial waste-to-energy plant planned for the town.

Robbie Moore has written to the Environment Agency’s chief executive, Sir James Bevan, outlining his concerns.

Endless Energy has been given planning permission for the scheme, on a former gas works site alongside the Aire Valley trunk road at Marley, but a decision is still awaited from the agency on an environmental permit application.

Mr Moore says he is anxious about the potential impact of the incinerator on people’s health and the volume of heavy lorries which would be servicing the site.

And he adds the focus should be on recycling waste, rather than incinerating it.

“I do not believe that the construction of an incineration plant at Marley is the right solution to deal with waste,” said Mr Moore.

“I have severe concerns regarding emissions from the incineration process itself, as well as from the increased traffic that will be servicing the site.

“It is frustrating that the proposal was given the green light by Bradford Council in the first instance, but with the scheme now sitting with the Environment Agency I have raised my concerns with its chief executive and during a debate in Parliament. I will continue to press the case at the highest levels.”

A public consultation into the environmental permit application, in 2018, attracted more than 2,000 responses.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We are finalising our detailed assessment of the application before making a decision on whether to issue a permit. This includes consideration of all the details submitted by the company along with the high volume of responses that were provided, covering a wide range of issues, during our public consultation.”

If the agency is ‘minded’ to issue a permit, a further consultation will be carried out before a final decision is made.

Campaigners against the scheme – who met Mr Moore to outline their opposition – say the plant will inflict harmful pollution on the Aire Valley and its surroundings, and will blight the landscape.

But Endless Energy refutes the allegations, arguing that the facility will provide an environmentally-friendly form of energy, while conforming to strict European emissions standards.