Sir – Oxfordshire County Council has made a terrible mistake in agreeing to a massive industrial incinerator in rural Ardley.

Nineteen parish councils and Cherwell District Council oppose the building of this toxic monstrosity but the county council has ignored them — what has happened to democracy?

The site is close to the notorious M40 junction 10 where there are more accidents and hold-ups than anywhere else on the motorway. The adjoining B430 is a merciful escape from the M40 and is very congested in the rush hour. It is this same narrow B430 country road — marked unsuitable for heavy vehicles because of the weak, narrow bridge — that the county council has decided can handle an increase in traffic of one HGV every minute, from 7am to 7pm, every day.

2,000 residents from the surrounding areas object to this industrial development in a country area where our village and rural life will be destroyed by more traffic and pollution. The pollution level in Ardley has already been measured to be at the high end of the acceptable EU mandated levels but this does not deter Oxfordshire County Council. This industrial building with a large chimney stack will harm the character & appearance of the countryside and is contrary to the council’s own policies G2, G5, EN1 & E1 contained in the Oxfordshire Structure Plan 2016. Oxfordshire CC have selected Viridor to build & run the proposed industrial incinerator in Ardley. This operator has no experience of large-scale incineration in the UK but nevertheless OCC have offered Viridor a 25-year contract without any break clauses. No commercial company would offer such a contract why should the county council?

Please help to save our village; stop this industrial development in a rural area but also save the Oxfordshire countryside for your children because Oxfordshire County Council is determined to destroy it irrevocably! Write to the Oxfordshire County Council planning committee before October 19 and object to this monstrous development in Ardley before the council changes the face of Oxfordshire forever.

Stewart Deakin, Fewcott