GLOUCESTERSHIRE County Council's proposals for a mass burn incinerator at Javelin Park near Haresfield have been recommended for approval by the planning officer handling the application.

In a report published on Monday, case officer Flo Churchill said the controversial facility should be granted planning permission despite over 4,000 objections from members of the public, as well as strong opposition from Stroud District Council, Stonehouse Town Council and Cheltenham Borough Council.

Her report will be put before the county council's planning committee on Thursday, March 21, which will ultimately decide whether or not to award permission for the plant.

As the SNJ revealed in December, the original case officer in charge of the application Ben Gilpin voiced his intention to recommend it for refusal or deferral.

He was replaced by his superior several days later and a team of consultants were subsequently brought in to draft the planning report at a cost of £48,510 to the taxpayer.

Writing on Twitter former Stroud MP David Drew described the planning report as 'risible', while in a press release the Green Party said that "the consultants' brief and sketchy justification for the council's choice is as inadequate and irrational as it is outdated."

Last week, Liberal Democrat county councillors announced that their opposition to the incinerator was one of six priorities in their manifesto ahead of local elections in May.

However, Conservative county councillor Ray Theodoulou accused opposition parties of trying to 'politicise' the issue and said Labour and Liberal Democrat-run councils were actually proposing to build incinerators elsewhere in the country.

Javier Peiro, project director for Urbaser Balfour Beatty (UBB), said: "UBB welcomes the recommendation to grant planning permission from Gloucestershire County Council's planning officers.

"The proposed Energy from Waste (EfW) facility at Javelin Park will bring a host of benefits to the County in addition to helping it divert up to 92 per cent of its municipal waste from landfill."