The developers of a proposed incinerator in Whitehill have lodged an appeal against South Lanarkshire Council’s decision to refuse planning permission.

Fresh Appeal

Clean Power’s first application to build an incinerator on the Whistleberry Road site was rejected by South Lanarkshire Council, following a lengthy campaign by politicians and local groups such as Hamilton Energy Recovery Action Group (HERAG) and local community councils, in May 2014. 

The following year, that decision was overturned on appeal by a Scottish Government appointed Reporter.

Proposed Whitehill Incinerator Height Comparison

However, Clean Power incensed campaigners when they submitted a new application early last year for an even larger incinerator with a stack twice the height of the previously planned one.

That application was, once again, rejected by South Lanarkshire’s Planning Committee but council officials have now written to Central Scotland MSP Monica Lennon, a former councillor for the area, to say that Clean Power, once again, plans to appeal the decision.

Monica Lennon condemns developer

Monica Lennon and others protesting against the proposed Whitehill incinerator

Speaking of Clean Power’s refusal to accept the local decision, Monica Lennon said:

“The proposed Whitehill incinerator is a saga that has caused nothing but worry and uncertainty for local people and it’s a disgrace that another appeal is hanging over the community.

“SNP Ministers gave the project the green light in 2015 despite it breaching national and local policy and they set the scene for the developers to push their luck with a second application.

“It’s grossly unfair and shows the current planning regime under the SNP government is tipped in favour of big business.

“I stand fully behind our local communities in opposing this incinerator and I will be fighting tooth and nail for a new planning law to give communities more rights.”

Ms Lennon recently lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament congratulating South Lanarkshire Council on its decision to refuse the new application.

She also called upon Clean Power “to recognise the wishes of the local community and accept this rejection as final”.

Monica Lennon has sought to influence the Scottish government’s Planning Bill, which is currently at committee stage, to redress the imbalance in the current appeals process.

Local communities cannot appeal against decisions but large developers can, often employing expensive legal counsel that is not available to local campaigners.

Overwhelming Objection

In response to the original application that was refused in 2014, the Council received over 7,000 letters of objection, with none in support, and almost three thousand people signed a petition objecting to the development. 

Protest against the proposed Whitehill incinerator, November 2015 (Picture first appeared in The Daily Record)

The latest application was also refused by South Lanarkshire Council in June 2018 as the scale and nature of the proposed development “would have an adverse visual impact upon the local area and a detrimental effect upon landscape character” and also have “an adverse impact upon the setting of the A Listed Bothwell Bridge, Designated Bothwell Battlefield and the adjacent green network”.

Planning officers also said that Clean Power had failed to demonstrate that the development would not have an adverse impact on the local otter population.

In this instance it is understood that the appeal may end up before Scottish Ministers and not a Reporter as happened previously.

If this is the case, SNP ministers will be forced to make the final decision and will be unable to distance themselves from the outcome.