The firm behind a controversial bid to build a huge waste incinerator plant in a north-east town has missed out on a chance to appeal the council’s decision to throw out the proposals.
Buchan Combined Heat and Power, which tabled the £50million scheme for Peterhead, was stopped in its tracks earlier this year by Aberdeenshire councillors who voted 49-13 against the plans.
The company had 90 days in which to revive the project by appealing the decision to the Scottish Government, but the deadline has now passed.
Last night, incinerator protester John Askey, who spearheaded the Peterhead Against Incinerator group, said he was “relieved” that time was up for the application.
Mr Askey, of Smithy Croft, Blackhills, added: “There was always a fear during those 90 days that an appeal would be coming.
“I don’t think it would have stood a chance to be honest because there was such a high majority of councillors who voted against the project.
“It’s a big relief and we had been holding off until now to really celebrate the decision.”
Buchan councillor Peter Chapman, who was in favour of the project, said: “It would appear they have given up on the whole process, which is a great pity.
“Buchan CHP clearly put a lot of money into the project and it’s a shame that has not come to anything more.
“There’s a real need for not only one of these incinerators, but maybe two or three.”
He added: “There’s always the possibility that a fresh application will be made but my worry is people will be put off as a result of the decision in January.”
More than 6,000 people, the equivalent of a third of Peterhead’s population, objected to the plans, claiming their lives could be put at risk by emissions from the plant’s 200ft chimney.
Hundreds of letters of objection were also sent to Aberdeenshire Council by residents worried about the impact on their health.
If the project had been successful, the incinerator would have burned millions of tonnes of rubbish at Peterhead’s Upperton industrial estate.