A £300 million energy from waste plant at Wisbech – offering 40 jobs once built and up to 700 jobs in its three year construction – is “wholly inappropriate for Fenland” says MP Steve Barclay.

He spent the first morning of his general election on the phone to the Cornish businessman Paul Carey who is behind the new proposals.

"I am strongly opposed to this mega incinerator for fenland," said Mr Barclay.

"It would involve 300 lorry movements a day on fenland roads bringing both household and commercial waste to a site just 500 metres from the largest secondary school in the district."

Mr Barclay said the first he knew of the plan was last night (Thursday) when he received an email from Mr Carey's company, MVV Environment Ltd.

"I phoned them immediately this morning to raise a series of questions. It is unclear what odour would be caused from bringing so much waste so near to a secondary school and housing.

"But in particular bringing over 300 lorry movements a day with waste from up to a two hour drive from Wisbech is wholly inappropriate both for fenland but also for the future proposals we have for the town including the Wisbech garden town."

He said the company had "little local knowledge or appreciation" of the level of concern the scheme would cause.

He recognised the company had mentioned their successful site in Plymouth which provides a cheaper energy source for the naval base.

"Such a site may be propionate next to a major naval base but fenland should not be used as a dumping site for waste from two hours away and in particular given the impact it would have on our roads."

MVV say the Devonport facility that opened in 2015 is their biggest in the UK. It uses around 250,000 tonnes of household, commercial and industrial residual waste per year to generate electricity and heat, notably for Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth.

Mr Barclay said: "The important thing for me not just a Wisbech issue but would involve huge number of lorries coming through fenland."

MVV Environment Ltd says its new energy from

waste combined heat and power facility generating electricity and steam would be built on land at

Algores Way, Wisbech.

Mr Carey said that if its plans are successful, a new company, to be called 'MVVEnvironment Medworth,' will be looking to employ local people to help build, operate and

"This is an exciting time for MVV in the UK," said Mr Carey. "We have demonstrated our ability to deliver such projects in Plymouth, Sittingbourne and Dundee, and look forward to engaging with the local

community to explain our proposals and seek their views."

MVV Environment Ltd is part of the MVV Group, one of the leading energy companies in Germany.

The proposed energy from waste combined heat and power facility will divert over half a million tonnes of non-recyclable waste from landfill every year, generating over 50 megawatts of electricity and offering the opportunity to supply steam to local factories.

Councillors in Wisbech have been told that the site was chosen because some of the non-recyclable waste from the east of England region is currently exported to continental Europe where it is used as fuel in energy from waste facilities.

"MVV look to bring their expertise to the area and create a new business for Wisbech to avoid transporting the waste overseas and to generate renewable energy for local businesses," says the document.

"The industrial area in the Medworth Ward offers the perfect opportunity to achieve high efficiencies with Combined Heat and Power (CHP). This means that some of the steam produced by burning the waste could be used for heating or industrial processes, avoiding the

use of fossil fuels."

A major consultation exercise is proposed but the company says in the meantime you can email them on medworth@mvvuk.co.uk if you have any questions.

"We will employ a community liaison manager from the local area so that there is always someone to communicate with face-to-face," says the company.