Horsham MP Jeremy Quin calls for town’s incinerator permit to be suspended

MP for Horsham Jeremy Quin has written to the Defra Minister, Mark Spencer MP, requesting that the recently issued Direction to the Environment Agency pausing the environmental permitting of waste incineration facilities in England is extended to include sites like Horsham which have been permitted but are not yet under construction.

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In November 2022, the Environment Agency issued a permit to the Horsham site allowing for the operation of the facility. The site is yet to be built but concerns remain around the operation of the facility and the impact it could have on local communities.

Mr Quin said: “I am pleased that the Minister has issued this Direction and I welcome the Government’s direction of travel on this issue.

“However, the pause will not affect new developments where an environmental permit has already been granted which is the case with the planned incinerator for Horsham.

A lengthy campaign has been waged against siting the incinerator in Horsham. Picture contributed

“I have written to the Minister to ask that this welcome pause is extended to those sites that are not yet constructed.

“It is critical that the Government gets our waste manage infrastructure right and that we continue to recycle as much as possible and reduce the quantity of waste sent for incineration. We do not want an over-capacity of incineration which would harm our recycling rates.

“I am keen that the Minister not only extends the pause to impact sites not yet constructed but introduces a wider moratorium on incinerators so that a full and proper assessment on residual waste treatment capacity can be conducted.”

Mr Quin has been actively working with the local campaign group No Incinerator 4 Horsham (Ni4H) since 2017. Ni4H and its volunteers have fought the proposal and include those who disagree with incineration in principle through to those who have no in-principle objection but believe this to be the wrong location.

Mr Quin will be providing further updates on his website – www.jeremyquin.com – and his Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/JeremyQuinOfficial/.