THE leader of Basildon Council has described plans for a controversial waste incinerator in the town as a 'disaster' or policy and pledged he will do everything he can to stop the borough becoming 'the dumping ground of Essex once again'.

Basildon-based recycling firm Clearaway plans to build the £50 million plant at Archers Field Close on the Burnt Mills industrial estate in Pitsea and it will burn landfill waste to create energy. The plant will feature two huge chimneys.

Basildon Council has already voted to oppose the plant but the decision ultimately rests with Essex County Council and they are currently in a consultation process on the application – which gives local residents the chance to voice their opinions.

They can do so via the county council's planning portal, via this link. The consultation will run until 20 March.

Clearaway say the site will "create secure, low carbon sources of energy" but its opponents are concerned about the local environmental impact, the proximity of another huge waste recycling plant nearby, the danger presented by hundred of HGVs going to and from the site from all parts of the county and emissions of sulphur dioxide from the chimneys.

Basildon Council Leader Cllr Gavin Callaghan says: "This is Essex County Council bringing forward a plan to put another waste plan into Pitsea and will mean we are the dumping ground of Essex once again.

"It will mean we will have more lorries and truckloads of rubbish coming on the A127, down on the Nethermayne roundabout and then into the north west of Pitsea.

"This will inevitably make air quality even worse and will drive up pollution in a really negative way and we will all end up in a position where the government's threatened congestion charge will be levied on the A127.

"This is a disaster of a planning application and a disaster of a policy.

"Essex County Council should not be dumping on Basildon in this way.

"They certainly should not be putting a second waste plant in Pitsea in less than ten years. Other parts of Essex, Braintree, Colchester, Maldon - these places need to take their fair share.

"We've already had a disastrous plant put on us in 2013 so I am urging everybody, please, please, please, make your feelings known about this.

"Even if you don't live in Pitsea this will affect you. You will be caught in the traffic, you will be stuck behind these lorries. The air pollution will deteriorate and ultimately you might also be left with a charge from the government because they are pushing these congestion charges or clear air charges, whatever you want to call them.

"If you are concerned about this you can email me ([email protected]) and I will make sure that your views are passed on to the county councillors and I will make sure that we get that message over to Essex County Council so that they do not do this

"And what we can't have as well is them try and kick this to June beyond the election so they can get over the elections and then they can put it through knowing that it will be four years before they face the ballot again.

"That will be completely wrong".

Stephen Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, also opposes the proposal and has said: "It can't be right that as we try and improve our air quality and clean up our environment that the only way to deal with our waste is to burn it. Incinerating it is not the answer."