BOLTON residents will have the opportunity to have their say over controversial plans to convert Raikes Lane Incinerator into an energy-from-waste plant.

The council will be hosting a public meeting in the Festival Hall at Bolton Town Hall on March 4 with Planning and Environment boss, Cllr Jack Foster, in the chair and Greater Manchester Waste will outline their proposals.

Greater Manchester Waste Ltd, a company owned by the Waste Disposal Authority, want to install new gas cleaning equipment and a waste-to-energy plant at the incinerator which could provide electricity for up to 7,000 homes. The company has already spoken to local residents and ward councillors at presentations at its Higher Swan Lane office but an exhibition and public meeting will now be held to give as many people as possible the chance to make their views known about the scheme.

Environmentalists Friends of the Earth have already lodged objections to the scheme, claiming emissions will pose a health threat and that it will generate a demand for rubbish when the council should be looking to improve recycling and waste reduction.

Cllr Foster said: "Waste is a significant issue for us all and how we manage it will have an impact on our community well into the future. "It is important that we are aware of and understand the views of local residents."

GM Waste's Managing Director, Stephen Jenkinson, said he was looking forward to the meeting. He said: "We started our public consultation programme even before we submitted the application and have always said we would be totally open about our proposals."

The company will stage an exhibition at the Town Hall Square on February 27 and 28 when members of the GM Waste Project Team will be on hand to answer questions about the application. The scheme goes before councillors on March 27.

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