CAMPAIGNERS have accused the American firm behind controversial plans for a new incinerator not giving borough's residents a fair chance to air their views.

Wheelabrator are planning to create the new waste-to-energy (WtE) facility close to Longparish.

The business claims the facility will be able to process 500,000 tonnes of waste a year to power around 110,000 homes.

Ahead of formally submitting proposals to the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy Andrea Leadsom, Wheelabrator has launched a community consultation with public events next month in Longparish, Whitchurch, Andover, Barton Stacey and Sutton Scotney.

However, Andy Jolliffe, of the Keep Test Valley Beautiful campaign group, said local residents were not being given a fair opportunity to voice their views.

“People have just six weeks to question Wheelabrator and pose written questions to them. It’s the last chance to quiz them and send them your views. After 12 December that door effectively slams shut," Mr Joliffe said.

Once he and his colleagues have read and absorbed the detailed documents, a series of drop--in advice sessions have been arranged by the campaign team.

“We want to help everyone to understand the complexities of these documents and how this monstrous development will affect them. We hope to be able to point any questions residents may want to ask and get ideas from them as well."

The campaign group says it will be posting regular updates on social media and its website bintheincinerator.com

Mr Jolliffe said: “It looks like the end of the ‘phoney war’. We had hoped that Wheelabrator would realise by now what is obvious to most people that, for so many reasons, this is the wrong place to put it.”

The group urged residents to attend at least one of the consultation events.

The land earmarked for the facility is owned by Raymond Brown near the A303.

If the planning process goes as scheduled and predicted by the firm, construction could begin at the end of 2021.

Wheelabrator’s consultation document says: “The WtE facility will allow for the recovery of valuable materials. The waste received and processed will already have had materials suitable for recycling removed. In total, the WtE facility will use up to 500,000 tonnes of residual waste per annum that would otherwise have gone to landfill.”

or been exported to mainland Europe.”

Campaigners have raised concerns about the environment and ecology as well as pressure on transport infrastructure issues.