Waste bid sparks fury
Hundreds oppose plan
Hundreds have backed a campaign to oppose a new waste- burning plant on the outskirts of Tarbolton.
The plan would burn up to 150,000 tonnes of rubbish every year, while a landfill site would double in size. Rubbish would be shipped in from around the country to be burned at the plant, which villagers say threatens the “heart of world- renowned Burns Country.”
A public meeting in the village attracted 175 people as they put forward plans to oppose the scheme, which is still to be decided by South Ayrshire Council’s planning committee.
Poet and author LJ McDowall, who lives in the area, said: “This is the land that inspired the Bard and needs to be preserved for future generations, not spoiled by industrialisation. Unlike Alloway, Tarbolton heritage sites are largely unspoiled and we should be receiving thousands of visitors a year.
“Should the plans go ahead, any prospect of sustainable tourism jobs will be permanently lost and a large part of our natural and literary heritage marred by an exploitative industry.”
The plans – by a Bolton- based firm – were lodged with the council in May, and it’s expected they will go before the new planning panel on Thursday, August 31. A similarly controversial plan for Killoch, near Cumnock, was passed by East Ayrshire Council earlier this year.
Tarbolton villagers have turned to their counterparts in the east for advice on how to fight the waste- burning scheme.
Villagers decided to form a community council at the meeting. They missed out on a vital preplanning stage because there was no comunity council for the area.