FEARS that more children could die if a £200 million energy from waste incinerator is built in Westbury have been dismissed by Wiltshire Council.

A campaigner claims Office of National Statistics data shows infant mortality rates soared in eight UK locations after waste incinerators were built.

But Wiltshire Council says neither the Environment Agency nor Public Health England have raised objections to the Westbury proposal.

Cllr Richard Clewer, Wiltshire Council’s leader, said: “In assessing the energy-from-waste facility planning application, Wiltshire Council sought the views of both the Environment Agency and Public Health England (PHE). Neither of these consultees raised objections.”

An interrupted time-series study of the opening of municipal waste incinerators in relation to infant mortality and sex ratio in 2019 pooled ONS data for eight incinerators in other locations.

It concluded: "We do not find evidence of an association of MWI (municipal waste incinerator) opening with changes in risks of infant mortality.”

But campaigner Michael Ryan said: “I've looked at ONS data in the eight councils where the incinerators in the above study are sited and on the year of opening there were a total of 46 infant deaths recorded in the eight councils.

“In the following year, there were a total of 70 infant deaths recorded by ONS, which is a huge increase and begs the question: how could the study authors have got it so wrong?”

The UK Waste Incineration Network campaign group has previously written to Wiltshire Council urging planners to reverse the application by Northacre Renewable Energy Ltd for the Westbury incinerator.

The joint venture company involving Swindon-based Hills Group and Bioenergy Infrastructure Group Ltd has already been granted planning permission both for the scheme and a change of technology.

It is now waiting for the Environment Agency to approve a final operating permit. The Agency has already announced it is ‘minded’ to grant a draft permit.

Campaigners argue a change of technology from advanced gasification to moving grate combustion will lead to more traffic, more air pollution and more harmful to health CO2 particulates being emitted.

The NREL application to change the technology was approved by Wiltshire Council in June last year subject to a decision by the Environment Secretary on whether to call it in.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced last month that it will leave the decision to Wiltshire Council.

Wiltshire Council's strategic planning committee is expected to ratify its previous approval when it meets next Wednesday (April 20).

In the meantime, Westbury Town Council will meet on Thursday afternoon (April 14) to discuss its options, including requesting a judicial review of Wiltshire Council’s decisions.