An application to build a wood burning gasification incinerator (Biomass Plant) on Green Belt land in Redhill Road, near Silvermere has gone to appeal. This small scale power station which is only 1.5 miles west from the centre of Cobham would generate 2.5 megawatts of electricity an hour by burning 30,000 tonnes of imported wood each year.

The campaign group "No Elmbridge Waste Incinerator" successfully fought the original application which resulted in both the Elmbridge Borough Council and the Surrey County Council refusing the application. The group is working hard to oppose the appeal and has applied for rule six status which means it can take on the developer SAS Waste Ltd at a similar level which gives it more chance of defeating the appeal. The date for comments from interested parties has now closed (5 Dec 2013) with the appeal due to be considered on the 4th March 2014.

The plan was originally rejected on the grounds that the applicant had failed to demonstrate a "very special circumstance" which would outweigh harm to the Green Belt.

For more details visit the No Elmbridge Waste Incinerator website at www.noelmbridgewasteincinerator.co.uk