DETAILS of the controversial Hatfield incinerator have finally been revealed, on the first day of an exhibition on the plans.

Veolia Environmental Services – the company chosen by Hertfordshire County Council to build the waste burning facility at New Barnfield – has begun a two-day public display of its plans for the site, off Travellers Lane.

The incinerator, which Veolia has termed a Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility, will be dome shaped, 45m in height, with two chimneys standing on top.

It will collect 380,000 tonnes of waste a year, of which 28,000 tonnes will be recycled – increasing the county council’s recycling rate by three per cent.

The rest, the company claims, will be converted into electricity via a turbine, generating enough energy to power 50,000 homes, based on local consumption.

At New Barnfield today (Wednesday) information boards outlining the company’s proposals were put on display, while Veolia representatives answered questions from residents.

Martin Curtois, Veolia’s group communications manager, said: “This is the first opportunity for us to get directly involved and get people’s opinions on this proposal.

“The purpose is to find out what they think and how they might affect the proposal, in a way that will benefit the whole process.”

Meanwhile, outside the exhibition, members of-anti incinerator group Hatfield Against Incineration (HAI) began their own two-day protest opposing the scheme.

HAI spokeswoman Cathy Roe said Veolia’s exhibition failed to address the key questions about the incinerator.

“I think people are surprised that exhibition doesn’t give much information,” she said.

“The dimensions of the incinerator, the traffic movement; they don’t seem to know.

“They have absolutely no answer to anything.”

Ms Roe also promised that tomorrow’s protest would be bigger than today’s, with residents, councillors and Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps all turning out for the final hour of the demonstration, starting at 7pm.

“We’re going to be making a lot of noise,” she said.