Opponents of a controversial incinerator scheme were dealt a serious blow yesterday after the Scottish Government said it would not intervene.
Protestors against the £120million energy from waste facility in East Tullos – which was approved by Aberdeen City Council last week – had written to the government following the decision, appealing for ministers to call in the application.
The objectors, from Torry, Cove, Kincorth and Nigg community councils, said they believed the local authority had made the “wrong decision” for the city.
But last night, a spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We have considered the request for call-in and do not consider the proposal raises issues of national significance which would merit minister’s intervention.”
A meeting between Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray councils will now take place on October 24 to potentially agree to move forward with the plans.
The facility is planned to generate heat and provide power from non-recyclable waste generated from all three authorities.
Aberdeen City Council’s finance convener Willie Young said: “This vindicates the councillors who voted in favour of the project, because we did it on planning grounds.
“I’m sure the community will be disappointed that the Scottish Government has not called it in, but that’s a matter for them.
“But from our point of view this now means we can look at this and move on.”
A joint statement from each of the four community councils objecting to the plans said: “Since the city council took a decision last week to grant planning consent for their own development, we were morally obliged to ask the Scottish Government to review this planning decision in the light of strong city wide concerns and objections, and today, we note their reply.
“We will now review all options open to us as we owe it to our communities to speak up on a matter of city, regional and national significance.”