OPPONENTS of plans to build a waste-to-energy incinerator in Keighley will get their day in court early next year.

Aire Valley Against Incineration (AVAI) has announced on its Facebook page that its judicial review court case against Bradford Council's decision to grant planning permission for the power plant in Marley is to be held in Leeds on January 15 and 16.

Applicant Endless Energy wants to build the facility off the eastern end of Marley Road, next to the Aire Valley Bypass.

AVAI has previously revealed it has raised a total of £41,013 to fund the fight against the incinerator, £15,918 of which has already been spent. This is enough to cover the legal costs of the judicial review.

Keighley MP John Grogan has also thrown his weight behind the campaign.

Mr Grogan, who sits on the Government’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said he will be calling for a moratorium on the building of waste-to-energy plants.

He added the latest national information, drawn up by independent consultants, shows there is now a surplus of such plants, leading to the “perverse” situation where they do not have enough waste to fuel the incinerators.

Endless Energy has previously argued generating energy from waste that would otherwise end up in landfill has a long, successful track record in the UK.

The company claims there are already dozens of proven facilities across the UK and Europe operating safely while under the strictest environmental regulations.

It has also said its Keighley plant would create about 300 jobs during construction and 79 permanent posts once the facility is fully operational.