A LANDOWNER’S bid to block a controversial waste technology park has been successful.

Lancashire County Council’s plans to build the new facility on the former Huncoat Power Station site has been denied by a planning inspector.

But while Inspector Michael Ellison has said the main East Lancashire Waste Technology Park cannot go ahead, he has approved the council’s plans to purchase green belt land for a £10million link road between the site and Whinney Hill tip.

However, it is not known whether the council will still go ahead with the road since the technology park has not been granted.

The decision means alternative plans from developers Omega Atlantic for the power station site could go ahead instead.

The company, which objected to LCC’s Compulsory Purchase Orders, instead put forward office and industrial estate plans which could provide around 1,500 jobs.

It would not need the link road. Agent for Omega Atlantic Steve Fawcett said: “We are delighted and regard it a total vindication of our position.

We will now be considering carefully what our options are for the site.”

The planning inspector’s report concluded LCC were “uncertain about the space which such facilities need to take up” and that “the county council cannot have a clear idea of how they would use the land affected”.

The inspector also backed Omega’s opinion that an alternative site for the facility at Moorfield Industrial Estate, Altham “justifies further investigation”.

Campaigner Paul Gott said he had hoped the link road plans would be dropped.

He said: “I hope this means the end of plans to develop that rural area.

Though the link road plans would relieve traffic through Huncoat it is a great loss of green belt.

“The road if it went ahead would open the area up to other developments”.