The Isle of Portland (Dorset, Great Britain), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is under threat from the construction of a waste incinerator. The British government has given its approval, while the project was unanimously rejected by Dorset Council in 2023, in the face of pressure from activists. The Jurassic Coast Trustthe Jurassic Coast defense and protection association, has announced that it is “very disappointed with the decision” in a recent press release.
The incinerator will be built along the shoreline on 23 hectares of land at Balaclava Bay. Although it will not be located directly on the rocky areas, it will be a major facility for the island, with the building measuring 200 metres long and 54 metres wide. The chimney will rise 80 metres high, and the smoke will rise up to 250 metres. The incinerator will operate continuously, burning both household and business waste from across the UK. The developers say the building, covered by a green wall “camouflage”will blend harmoniously into the landscape.
“Although the construction is taking place outside the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, there will be an impact on the overall setting of the site”explains Rushanara Ali, Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Communities. Many activists have expressed their concern about this threat to the island. The association World Heritage Watch warned of the potential damage that the construction of the incinerator could cause to the local ecosystem. Due to its high location and prevailing winds, smoke and heavy metals risk spreading over the millennia-old limestone rock areas. The association also raised questions about the management of waste and ash, which could end up directly in the sea and on the coastline.
The 155km coastline of Dorset and East Devon has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. The island’s rock formations, dating from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, date back 185 million years and contain fossils of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. It is the only site in the world where all three geological periods are visible in one place. These rocks are of major importance for research in geology, palaeontology and geomorphology: they have been studied by scientists for over 300 years, according to UNESCO.
The incinerator project, launched in November 2019 by developers, is estimated to cost £150m. The companies that would fund the incinerator are Japanese and Dutch, according to World Heritage Watch.
World Heritage Watch warned the government that it must obtain the approval of UNESCO’s world heritage committee before starting construction.
