A DECISION on whether to build an incinerator at Javelin Park has been delayed for a third time.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles was due to release a decision on whether to uphold Urbaser Balfour Beatty’s appeal by today – after delaying the decision twice already.

However a spokesman for the department has confirmed that a decision will not be announced today or this week but the application is ‘actively being progressed’.

She also said there was not a date for when the decision would be announced. Gloucestershire County Council's planning committee threw out plans to build a a £500 million incinerator at Javelin Park in March last year.

UBB then lodged an appeal against the decision leaving it in the hands of Mr Pickles.

Cllr Ray Theodoulou, cabinet member responsible for wasteat GCC, said: “We are clearly very frustrated by this further delay, however, we appreciate the Secretary of State is keen to make the right decision on such an important issue.

“If approved, the facility will make an important change in the way that Gloucestershire deals with the household waste of its 600,000 residents, diverting over 92 per cent of our waste from landfill.

"It will make a significant impact on tackling climate change by removing 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and save local people more than £150million over the next 25 years."

The county's Labour group has branded the Government’s further delay as a ‘farce’ and has promised to continue to fight plans to build an incinerator in the new year.

Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Stroud, David Drew said: “ We have had delay after delay. It is now clear that Eric Pickles is playing a very political game and I doubt we will now get a decision until after the general election.

"The Government knows there is wide spread public opposition to building an incinerator at Javelin Park.

"Eric Pickles clearly thinks that by putting the incinerator decision on the back burner people in Gloucestershire will forget the issue, which is a big mistake.

"Local residents want this project rejected, so that we can explore the viable alternatives to incineration, such as Mechanical Biological Treatment.”

The leader of the Labour Group at Gloucestershire County Council, Lesley Williams, added: “The whole situation is a farce.  

"The people of Gloucestershire were promised a decision today and instead they got more political games from the Tories in Whitehall. Eric Pickles cannot have his cake and eat it."

Stroud MP Neil Carmichael has voiced his frustration over the continuing delay.

In a statement to press he said: “I am extremely frustrated by the continuing delays in the decision on this application and will be urging the Secretary of State again to decide this matter as soon as possible.”

A spokesman for the anti- incinerator campaign group GlosVAIN said: "We are disappointed that the Secretary of State has not yet reached his decision to reject this appeal.

"We hope that the democratic decision of the county planning committee will be upheld and the overwhelming opposition of the statutory consultees, other local councils and the people of Gloucestershire will be recognized.

"There is convincing new evidence that this project is not viable.

"Newer cheaper technology is coming on line, there is firm proof of overcapacity of waste facilities in the UK and there are new policies to ensure higher recycling and significantly less residual waste in future. An opportunity now exists for all parties to embrace a better strategy.

"The County Council Plan B committee has already recommended different technological solutions.

"We look forward to an outcome that makes best use of existing planning permitted facilities."