A PARISH councillor from Calne is furious after Wiltshire Council says it will no longer defend its reasons for refusing a materials recovery facility in Lower Compton.

Kate Morley from Calne Without Parish Council and the team behind local campaign group Wiltshire Waste Alliance now have to present evidence for the refusal by themselves at the public inquiry for the Hills Waste extension at the public inquiry, which starts at Trowbridge Civic Centre on September 6.

Councillors at the strategic planning committee voted eight to one, with two abstentions, against Hills Waste Solution's plans to extend the existing recycling facility in June of last year on the grounds that the plans contravened wWiltshire's Core Policy regarding air quality, sustainable transport and the movement of goods.

But in June this year, during a private session, the strategic planning committee changed its mind and decided not to speak out at the appeal. Committee chairman Andrew Davis yesterday said he would not comment on why this happened.

Mrs Morley said: "Calne Town Council and all the surrounding parish councils have consistently objected to the applications that Hills have made for this site over the last five years. This is the final chance to stop Calne being blighted by waste lorries forever.

"Lower Compton is the wrong place to site a large, strategic facility which effectively imports and then exports waste from a massive area. The majority of the HGVs have to travel through the centre of Calne where the air pollution is already dangerously above Government limits.”

Shortly after the decision to refuse the application had been made a Wiltshire Council planning officer recommended that the council no longer defend the committee's reasons for refusal at a private meeting excluding the public.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Waste Alliance said: "We are extremely disappointed that Wiltshire Council is not prepared to defend its own councillors’ decision. We believe the committee’s reasons for refusal were correct and will be defending those reasons rigorously at the appeal.

"Hills have ruthlessly exploited that site for many years and some of their current operations are taking place without permission. We very much hope that the site can shortly be restored to green fields as the original temporary permission states."

A spokesman for Wiltshire Council said: "Strategic planning committee reconsidered the matter in June and decided not to present evidence at the inquiry."

The inquiry, which is open to members of the public, will start on Tuesday at 10am and could last for more than a week.