DAY 20 opened with Mr Roberts still in the witness box and still being cross examined by GlosVAIN’s Alan Watson, writes Ian Richens, of the anti-incinerator group.
Our birthday boy, Mr Watson, put up a gritty fight to show that the figures of waste forecasts used by UBB to try and prove the need for such a big burner were overestimated and indeed much too high when compared against the latest DEFRA annual figures.
Mr Roberts attempted to say the latest DEFRA figures were not lodged as core evidence so they could not be quoted.
However, Mr Watson had indeed lodged them to make his case and Mr Roberts’s forecasts looked unconvincing against the facts of the DEFRA figures.
It was however the inspector who was responsible for eliciting the quote of the inquiry from Mr. Roberts when he asked him: "If I was minded to dismiss the appeal couldn’t UBB just re-apply for planning with a smaller building?"
Mr Roberts answered that it was not that simple because there was no guarantee that it would pass the planning committee as 'everybody wants MBT.’
It has taken to day 20 to get the man described as UBB's ringmaster to finally say the words we all agree with – 'everybody wants MBT’.
The inquiry continues.
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