A “MONSTROUS” scheme which is “horrible to look at” and a “proposed act of environmental and ecological vandalism”.

Those are just three of the criticisms that have been levelled at controversial plans to build a waste-to-energy incinerator near Andover.

While arguments have been made in support of the scheme, the general sentiment from residents and local organisations has, so far, been overwhelmingly negative.

Council officers have been out in the field on site visits, and pouring over documents back at council headquarters, preparing advice for councillors who have since formally submitted objections to the plans.

And at the ground level, local stakeholders and business owners based just a few hundred metres from the proposed site have also voiced their concerns.

A public consultation was staged by Wheelabrator, the US firm who pitched the proposals, inviting residents and local organisations to share their views on the plans.

The door on that consultation period slammed shut yesterday, but not before local authorities had their say.

Last week, Whitchurch town councillors unanimously objected to the plans, as the incinerator would have an “unacceptable effect on the health, well-being and economy” of local residents and businesses.

And days later Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) followed suit. A report prepared by officers claimed that “inadequate information” had been submitted by Wheelabrator during its public consultation.

Other issues with the facility cited include air quality, noise and vibration, ground contamination, impact to the local landscape, the unsuitability of the proposed location, water demand, and the effect on the nearby solar farm.

At the meeting in which TVBC formalised its objection to the proposal, representatives from Longparish and Barton Stacey parish councils also voiced their opposition.

While the various councils lead the charge from the top, those individuals on the frontline have shared further concerns over the incinerator’s potential impacts on business, traffic and the local environment.

Pippa Moon has Difford Kennels and Cattery, roughly half a mile from the proposed incinerator site, for 40 years.

Last year was the kennels’ most successful year, but she does have worries that the facility could deter customers from her in future.

However she says that her biggest concern is the effect on traffic, as the Barton Stacey junction for the A303 is already struggling to deal with current levels.

“I think my greatest worry is the amount of traffic there is going to be, because the junction up there is just not up to the job,” she said.

“And it’s going to get an awful lot worse.”

Based on her own calculations, Pippa believes there could be a lorry accessing the site every minute-and-a-half.

Although the company has stressed that lorries will not be passing through nearby villages, she worries what will happen if the dual carriageway is closed for any reason.

She continued: “They assure us that no lorries will come down our road but you can’t help but feel that if the A303 is blocked, which it often is, even if they don’t want to go down our road the police may make them if they divert them.”

Nick Dunford, of Vale Farm, in Nun’s Lane, echoes Pippa’s concerns about traffic.

He said: “The road we are on is used as a rat run between the A303 and the A34 when there’s an accident. And even the other night we had big lorries coming through at 2am and struggling to get out at the end of the road.”

Nick’s farm is home to a range of rare species of wildlife, including grey partridge, hares, sky larks and barn owls – wildlife that he says hasn’t yet been addressed by Wheelabrator.

“I’m very concerned about it on the farming side. We farm right up to the border, and I’m worried if there’s any accidental escape from the factory, what it’s going to put back into the farm life.”

He also worries about the effect an incinerator might have on business at his Vale Farm Fishery. He added: “Noise and light pollution could affect the fishery.

“People don’t want to come to the countryside and try to fish if there’s a constant noise. People come for the tranquillity and the scenery.”