PLANS for a £100m incinerator in Oxfordshire have been delayed by at least one year, it has emerged.

But county council bosses refused to reveal the potential cost of the delay to taxpayers, insisting the information was “commercially sensitive” (see panel).

On Monday, county councillors voted against the recommendation of officers and refused to grant planning permission for an incinerator at Ardley or at Sutton Courtenay.

The two companies whose incinerator plans were rejected said they were considering their options.

Viridor’s proposal at Ardley was the council’s preferred option.

Protesters who fought against both schemes are waiting to see if the companies appeal.

Jon O’Neill, a spokesman for Ardley Against the Incinerator, said: “There is no doubt Viridor will appeal, and when that appeal comes forward we will fight it.

“Oxfordshire County Council now appears to be in a cul-de-sac and is struggling to find a way out because it has not laid on any real alternatives to incineration.”

Robert Ryan, a spokesman for Viridor, which has six months to appeal, said: “We are now reviewing our options.”

Harry Hudson, a spokesman for the Waste Recycling Group, which sought permission for the Sutton Courtenay incinerator, said: “Although the planning permission would not have been implemented unless Viridor’s scheme for Ardley failed to proceed, WRG believes that it had satisfied all planning requirements in its proposal.”

Callum MacKenzie, a spokesman for Sutton Courtenay Against the Incinerator, said: “The decision to reject both proposals was definitely against the script.

“We’re still very much on guard, although we believe if anyone appeals it will be Viridor, as it is the county’s chosen tenderer. If there is an appeal we will fight it, and offer any help we can to Ardley.”

If you want to have a say on the plans, you can write to council chief executive Joanna Simons at Oxfordshire County Council, County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND.