Eco & Environment, Wimborne | Posted on May 16th, 2025 | return to news
Residents confront company behind Canford Magna waste incinerator
Emotions ran high at a public meeting chaired by a local MP to discuss the proposed energy from waste incinerator.
Staff from MVV – the company behind the application for the Canford Magna incinerator – were challenged by members of the community at a recent public meeting held at The Hamworthy Club on Magna Road.
The meeting was organised by local Lib Dem councillors Richard Burton, Marcus Andrews and David Brown, and chaired by the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Vikki Slade.
Almost 50 questions had been submitted in advance of the meeting by locals from both Merley and Bearwood and these were put to the panel that comprised Paul Carey (MD for MVV) and Jayne Ford (community relations manager for MVV) as well as Frank Ahearn, (founder of Magwatch, a local organisation initially set up in 2021 to protect local green spaces and now campaigning to stop the incinerator) and Shlomo Dowen (the national coordinator for UK Without Incineration Network).
Vikki Slade said: “The purpose of the meeting was to clarify process, give residents the opportunity to have their questions answered and share their concerns as well as give MVV the chance to put forward their proposal.
“We know that people feel passionately about this planning application, and many are scared about a number of issues including the levels of pollution that the incinerator could potentially emit as well as concerns relating to increased traffic levels and the impact of building near to the greenbelt.
“It was vital for us to hold this meeting so that residents could have their concerns addressed in an open forum and answers to their questions face-to- face.”
During the meeting, MVV were asked why this site had been proposed for the incinerator. Carey answered by pointing out that the existing use of the site is as a waste management facility with the capacity to host large vehicles and accept heavy traffic. He also discussed the ‘proximity principle’ that the waste a community produces should be dealt with as close to where it is created as possible.
He added that explained that the proposed incinerator is designed to process the residual waste of the population of BCP and Dorset however residents raised concerns that as recycling rates rise, waste will have to be shipped in from further afield to meet energy demands.
Carey also answered questions on exactly what will be emitted from the chimney, clarifying it will mainly be nitrogen, oxygen and water vapour. On further questioning, MVV acknowledged that small amounts of pollutants would also be released but offered reassurance that the levels would fall within the limits set out by the Environmental Agency.
Residents also raised concerns relating to the levels of traffic in Canford Magna and fear that the existing traffic network won’t be able to cope with a new, larger facility paired with the two housing developments that are currently being built in Merley and Bearwood.
Whilst reassurance was offered that projections have been made as part of the application process, residents fear that “the ‘experts’ have got it terribly wrong” and have “grossly underestimated the level of vehicles” soon to descend on the area.
The application is due to be debated and decided at the Planning Committee on 12 June. If residents wish to share their views on the proposed plans, they can do so by visiting: https://planning.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Planning/Display/APP/23/00822/F.
Please share post:
LATEST NEWS:
CHARITY OF THE YEAR 2025
Subscribe to the online magazine news letter
