IN the light of tragic recent events at Grenfell Tower and the serious fire near Rotherham, where plastic stored ready for a waste-to-energy incinerator caught fire, I have even greater concerns about the planned incinerator at Marley.

This incinerator building is huge – 35 metres high – and it is covered in cladding.

The appearance of this cladding was the reason for the 2016 plans being rejected, so the developers were required to bring a sample of the cladding to the Bradford Council regulatory and appeals committee for consideration.

Not unreasonable to expect that for a multi-million pound development, the developers could have a sample made? Well, they didn’t – they made excuses instead.

So, if they didn’t provide a sample of the cladding (and if you look at the plans there’s a lot of cladding on the building), does this mean it hasn’t been checked to see if it is safe to use, that it is fire proof? Is it a suitable material to use on an incinerator building?

So, Bradford Council has agreed to build an incinerator, cover it in unseen cladding, locate it in a valley (not in Bradford) next to a major road and near thousands of homes, schools and workplaces; build it next to a main railway line, close to a high-pressure gas main and store the hydrocarbons that are distilled from the plastic waste burned in six large holding tanks before the fleet of polluting HGVs can take it away.

PENNY CAMPBELL Aire Valley resident

* In response, Endless Energy Ltd said: “We understand there have been questions asked about the materials to be used when the Keighley Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) is built.

“Given recent tragic events in the south of England, similar concerns have been raised about a whole manner of existing and planned buildings. I’d like to assure your readers we take safety very seriously. The materials used in the building of this facility will meet the highest health and safety standards.

“All ERF facilities are strictly regulated and require a permit from the Environment Agency to operate, and our building is no different. We can categorically say that any cladding used on the building will not be flammable.

“In addition to this, the building is fully fitted with a world-class sprinkler system, making the already small risk of a fire even lower.

“Bradford Council has considered every single aspect of the proposal when deciding whether to grant planning permission. We must be clear, we would not be moving forward with this project if it posed significant risk to the public or surrounding area.

“It is important to note The operations are strictly regulated under UK and European law and the Environment Agency (EA). It cannot be operated without an Environmental Permit, with safety on site a key part of the permitting process.”