Hazel Blears has promised to help residents "fight every inch of the way" to stop a new waste transfer station being built on Green Lane after listening to widespread public opposition at a packed meeting over the weekend.

Speaking in a crowded room at the Queens Arms pub on Green Lane, Hazel said:

"My view is that this is a residential area and I don’t think having a big waste transfer station is appropriate. Twenty years ago I used to be the councillor for Monton and Ellesmere Park so I know the area very well indeed. That’s why I was concerned to hear at the consultation day that there would be 160 heavy goods vehicles moving in and out of the plant every single day. I’ve recently visited the site of a similar operation to see how this would work and some of their trucks were very big."

Stressing that while she was supportive of the technology the company was trying to develop, she thought it was an entirely inappropriate place to site the plant, she added:

"I personally don’t believe that land should be designated for industrial use. I think it’s a throwback to the 1950s when Eccles was a big engineering town. It’s still designated for industrial use and I think we should be trying to persuade the city council to re-designate that land for residential use."

Pledging to work with local resident-led campaign group (Say No To Green Lane Incinerator founded by Hani El-Qasem, Kirsteen McGarva, Colin Long and Lisa Hughes) to oppose the proposals, Hazel said she is due to meet with Sky Properties and Energos on 22 January "to set out my concerns".

For more information see Green Lane Eco Dump. You can also join the campaign on Facebook, or email Hazel here