Charles Coston, who lives at Inverbreakie Farmhouse, just 200 yards from the planned combined waste-to-energy plant, fears the process could cause health problems such as asthma, respiratory irritations, cancer, damage to the central nervous system and learning disabilities in children.

Mr Coston has emerged as a strong critic of the 43 million plan by Combined Power and Heat (Highlands) Ltd and has lodged his objections with the Highland Council's planning department as well as Highland MSPs. He is also raising a petition locally.

Meanwhile, an application by the same company for a 50 million waste-to-energy plant in Peterhead has also raised health fears and attracted a 900-signature petition against the development.

Mr Coston told the North Star: "The emissions from the incinerator's chimney will be felt for a range of between 10-15 miles. The Invergordon hospital and a nearby nursing home are a very short distance from the outflow, as are the elderly residents of Saltburn who could have their health adversely affected.

"Healthwise, there are several areas of concern which are widely accepted within the medical field. Acidic gases are responsible for respiratory irritations, and pose further problems for asthma sufferers. Dioxins suppress the immune system, cause cancer, result in fewer male offspring, and cause learning disabilities and behavioural problems in children."

He said: "The thing that is noticeable when you look at the application is that you will not see the word 'incinerator'. They call it a waste-to-energy plant but it's basically an incinerator under a different tag.

"In the planning paperwork they refer to the economically deprived area of Invergordon and when you look around the country you find that these incinerators tend to be stuck in areas of economic deprivation where people are more preoccupied with more basic things rather than researching the health effects of an industrial plant. But people are worried and I think public awareness is important."

Mr Coston said local residents should look out for petition sheets in local shops which objectors could sign.

Glenn Jones, managing director of CPH Highlands, said: "We carried out extensive air modelling and health risk assessments as part of our recent planning application to Highland Council. These indicate that emissions from our proposed plant pose absolutely no risk to human health.

"The plant would use modern technology which has been tried and tested around the world and fully complies with standards set by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency."

The proposed plant, on the former smelter site on the Cromarty Firth Industrial Park, will be capable of burning up to 200 tonnes of rubbish per day and could generate enough power for around 8,000 households and businesses each year.

The company says it will create around 20 full-time jobs with spin-off business expected to generate another 100.

j.mackenzie@spp-group.com

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