The building of a huge incinerator this side of Westbury, which had been opposed by Frome Town Council, is to go ahead after an appeal against a previous planning rejection was overruled.

The Planning Inspectorate announced (February 22) that the building of the incinerator on Stephenson Road on the Northacre Estate could go ahead in spite of widespread opposition.

Wiltshire Council had turned down the application and the appeal was lodged by Northacre Renewable Energy Limited against that decision, it is now also expected there will be a separate ruling on who will pay legal costs for the appeal.

One of the reasons given for opposition to the incinerator were fears about the impact it could have on the adjacent Arla Dairy. "This was with particular regard to emissions of odour or bioaerosol emissions that could possibly by-pass the air intake filters of the Dairy resulting in product contamination or taint. In such circumstances, it was suggested production may have to cease until any pollutant levels reduced to an acceptable level. It was contended this may cause reputational damage to the company and seriously affect the business."

However in his conclusion, the Inspector, who visited the site on 5 December 2022, ruled that no worries about pollution, over development or increases in HGV traffic would be enough to : " to warrant a decision other than in accordance with the aforementioned development plan policies, the NPPW and the Framework. Consequently, for the above reasons, based on the evidence before me and all other matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed. "

There has been anger at the ruling on social media, with one post summing the decision up as : " Absolute joke - complete and utter waste of time, energy and effort and a clear note that there is no care about the environment or people. Absolutely shameful."