Day 5 - 26th November 2013

Post date: Nov 27, 2013 9:29:16 PM

Mr Robert Gillespie opened the day in the witness seat and it only took a few minutes before he was extolling the virtues of incineration as the best technology for the site - this had been confirmed by three ‘unnamed experts’. ( One cannot help thinking whether one was the previous Champion of waste!!)

He suggested that one way of reducing the impact of the building was to sink it partially into the ground although he agreed that he had not investigated the cost of this option. However he did confirm that in his opinion there were no realistic users of CHP and that the opportunity to use the heat had been missed and that this made the incinerator a electricity-only provider which reduced its potential efficiency significantly.

There then followed a lengthy and somewhat repetitive exchange between Richard Phillips QC for UBB and Mr Gillespie over the size and scale of the building. This became more frustrating as both sides tried to hold their point of view but even though at one stage Mr Gillespie looked a little punch-drunk he held on to rebuff the relentless Richard Phillips QC and the encounter ended with both sides feeling they had won. Though in reality UBB had pretty much destroyed what little there was of GCC’s case.

Mr Phillips QC asked Mr Elvin QC for GCC if anything had become of the ‘Plan B’ working party which had been set up by the GCC but Mr Elvin said ‘No nothing has’ to which Mr Phillips QC said with a wry smile ‘Nothing surprises me!’

Alan Watson for GlosVAIN then asked just which councillors authorised the GCC Waste Planning Authority’s.case which was put to the enquiry and for good measure Tom Jarman asked Mr Gillespie a number of questions which were dealt with without teasing out any further information and we all breathed a sigh of relief that the day had reached its conclusion!