Campaigners gathered outside Bournemouth’s Town Hall Annexe on 2 June 2026, as the public inquiry into the proposed Canford Energy Recovery Facility opened, demonstrating continued opposition to the controversial incinerator proposal (more information here).
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council refused planning permission for the Canford Energy Recovery Facility in June 2025. The current inquiry relates to the company MVV Environment’s appeal against that refusal.
Residents, environmental groups, local campaigners and community groups joined the demonstration. It was organised by Stop Parley & Canford Incinerators, which is a community campaign opposing proposals for large-scale waste incineration facilities in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area. Banners, placards and drumming highlighted widespread concern about the proposed development’s environmental, climate and heritage impacts.
Among the environmental groups taking part were Extinction Rebellion BCP, Extinction Rebellion Wimborne, Bournemouth and Poole Greenpeace and East Dorset Friends of the Earth. The demonstration took place as MVV Environment seek to overturn BCP Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the incinerator in June 2025.
Campaigners argue that the proposed facility is unnecessary, would increase pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and would damage the setting of Canford Heath and surrounding heritage assets.
Daniel Glennon, Coordinator of Stop Parley & Canford Incinerators, said:
“Today’s turnout sends a clear message to the Planning Inspector: local opposition to this incinerator has not gone away. The proposal remains unnecessary, environmentally damaging and incompatible with the future our communities want.
“A key part of MVV’s climate case relies on the future deployment of carbon capture technology, yet commercial-scale carbon capture on waste incinerators remains largely unproven worldwide. The company is asking decision-makers to place enormous faith in technology that may not be available for decades and for which there is currently no credible delivery plan for this site.
“People across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole understand that there are better ways to deal with waste than locking ourselves into forty years of burning it.”
Rick Larcombe, retired Combustion Design Engineer, Institute of Engineering Designers member and Bearwood resident, said:
“I have lived near Canford Heath for almost 50 years and have watched development steadily erode the green spaces around it. The overwhelming majority of local residents do not want this incinerator.
“Canford Heath is one of the area’s most important natural and heritage assets. A huge industrial incinerator on the remaining green belt land would be intrusive, damaging to the landscape and detrimental to people’s enjoyment of the heath. Future generations deserve to inherit a thriving natural environment, not an industrial skyline.”
Campaigners point to existing incineration capacity in the region and argue that the development conflicts with BCP Council’s own waste strategy, which prioritises waste reduction, reuse and recycling.
The public inquiry is expected to continue over the coming weeks.
