SO IT finally looks as though Didcot, Appleford and Sutton Courtenay will be spared the unacceptable risks of old technology waste incineration.

What I find worrying though, is that many of the the same opponents of the incinerator project seem equally opposed to the plan to build and operate a state-of-the art mechanical biological treatment plant on the site.

This is a scheme that has the thumbs up from several leading environmentalists and a scheme that is already working well in Cambridgeshire. So much so, that the people there are proud of their scheme.

Let’s face it: this site needs a new use. I for one would rather have a forward thinking eco-friendly scheme that seeks to maximise recycling and uses the latest biological disposal methods, than the continuation of crude landfill or, God forbid, plans for an alternative waste incinerator coming through again.

And judging by the actions to date of Oxfordshire County Council, this remains an ever present danger.

Saying no to everything is simply not an option for us. So why not try to influence our destiny by broadly supporting this scheme and getting our fears and concerns addressed now, rather than maintaining this negative stance on all proposals.

In my experience, if you exclude yourself from the process of actively shaping things then eventually you tend to get what you are given, regardless.

Chris Parkes The Nursery Sutton Courtenay