NO WEY INCINERATOR campaigners have reported an “astonishing” number of objections to the application to build a waste incinerator on the A31 outside Alton.

Such was the volume of comments criticising waste giant Veolia’s application, it took Hampshire County Council six weeks to log the final total of 3,300 objections – as confirmed just this week.

This includes two district/borough councils (East Hampshire and Waverley), two town councils (Alton and Farnham), 17 parish councils, two MPs (Damian Hinds and Jeremy Hunt), the Campaign to Protect Rural England, South Downs National Park and Natural England.

Ben Stanberry, spokesman for the No Wey Incinerator campaign group, said: “This huge response makes the strength of local opinion very clear and is supported by authorities responsible for protecting both our valued landscape and quality of life in the Wey valley area.

“We believe that if we had been campaigning during the restrictions imposed by Covid, the total would have been even higher.

“As it stands, this application definitely figures as one of the UK’s ten most objected planning applications, according to a recent national survey of councils by Churchill Home Insurance.

“We trust the strength of feeling demonstrated by this overwhelming number of objections convinces Hampshire County Council to examine the application in minute detail and conclude that such a development is inappropriate and outdated.”