WINCHESTER planners are poised to join the campaign against an energy plant at Micheldever Station.

City councillors on the planning committee are being urged this Thursday (DEC13) to oppose the proposals for the ‘waste management site’ including an anaerobic digestion plant on land off Overton Road.

A council report said it would result in development with “no over riding justification” and that it would generate too much traffic harming the character of the countryside.

Although the city council objects, the final decision will be made by Hampshire County Council.

The proposals include an office, visitor centre, new access road, weighbridge, solar panels and landscaping.

It would process 154,000 tonnes of waste a year, two-thirds municipal and industrial and a third green/food waste. The site which would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week would employ some 30 people.

The applicant, Clean Power, says that although the site is not designated for such it can be considered a windfall site as it is so close to the A303.

The land includes part of a Site for Nature Conservation and is a habitat for dormice, bats and slow worms.

Other objectors include Hampshire Wildlife Trust who says the plan will threaten the Micheldever Spoil Heaps Site of Special Scientific Interest, the habitat of rare plants including cut-leaved germander and spring cinquefoil.

Also opposing the scheme is the Council for the Protection of Rural England who say local roads are inadequate for an estimated 120 lorry movements a day.

Micheldever Action Group has been formed to fight the scheme and attracted widespread local support.

The parish council, Dever Society and the three local city councillors, Barry Lipscomb, Stephen Godfrey and Malcolm Wright also object.