Surrey County Council (SCC) has been asked by the National Grid to temporarily stop plans for a gasification plant to be built underneath its power lines.
Over 1,000 objection letters have been sent to SCC from concerned businesses and residents including Silvermere Golf and Leisure which is on the borders of the proposed site.
Although the plant would generate 2.5MW of electricity per hour from burning 30,000 tonnes of waste per annum, it would have an 80 foot high chimney and is directly under the power lines.
A National Grid spokesman said: “We have lodged a holding objection to this planning application, the proposed incinerator would be located directly beneath our overhead lines, which play vital role in delivering electricity supplies to the region.
“Placing an incinerator directly beneath overhead power lines could present major safety and operational issues. A thorough investigation is being conducted to determine the impact the proposed development would have on our overhead lines.
“The holding objection will stop the planning application going any further while this review is in progress and the developer resolves all safety and operational issues associated with building a development under or adjacent to our overhead lines.”
A SCC spokeswoman said the application will still go ahead, but had been paused while the applicant provides more information in response to the letter from the National Grid.
