CONTROVERSIAL plans for a waste transfer station in Amersham will be 'strongly opposed' by district councillors.

Members of Chiltern District Council's planning committee voted in favour of opposing the plans, which have been put forward by FCC Environment Ltd.

Councillors said there were no exceptional circumstances for redeveloping the site off London Road East, which is in green belt land - and there was "no evidence any alternative locations have been considered" by county council planning chiefs.

The proposed transfer station would receive household and some commercial and industrial waste collected in the Chiltern District and part of the South Bucks District.

It would then be transferred onto larger vehicles and transported to the 'Energy from Waste' site at Greatmoor in the north of the county, which is currently under construction.

But Cllr Peter Martin said the waste transfer station at High Heavens, Booker, had sufficient capacity to deal with south Bucks' needs.

He said residents of the Wycombe district create an estimated 45 tons of rubbish per year, while in South Bucks the amount is 20.6 tons and in Chiltern it is 18 tons. He said the total capacity of High Heavens is 130 tons.

Speaking at CDC's planning committee meeting on Thursday, Cllr Martin said: "Even if this application was approved, we would be obliged to take our waste to High Heavens for a period of possibly up to two years. That's after the Energy from Waste plant is built. Why can't they make that a permanent proposition? I don't understand.

"Bucks County Council officers have repeatedly said - and in public - the Energy from Waste plant can operate satisfactorily from one one waste transfer station.

"Far from essential infrastructure, this site would merely provide capacity in excess of Chiltern and South Bucks' needs."

Previous plans for a waste transfer station at the same site were turned down by Buckinghamshire County Council's planning committee two years ago.

A new application is now being considered, with officials at County Hall having the final say after consulting with residents, CDC and Amersham Town Council.

Cllr Martin said: "I'm asking myself, 'What's changed?' The proposed building has moved a bit closer to the A413, it's reduced slightly in size - other than that, it's exactly the same.

"There is a lack of exceptional circumstances, which they need to demonstrate to justify building in the AONB."

Cllr John Gladwin said there were concerns the nearby River Misbourne could be polluted if any building work takes place, because the site was formerly used as landfill.

Mike Shires, the council's area planning officer, said 480 letters of objection had been sent to the county council.

He said objectors claimed the public presentations of the plans "haven't been transparent" over the number of vehicles that would use the site.

He added concerns had also been raised over the impact on residents and the visual impact on rights of way in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Members unanimously voted in favour of strongly opposing the plans.