After years of campaigning, many people in Ochiltree and the surrounding areas got the news they wanted as Barr Environmental withdrew its Killoch waste incinerator plans.
We reported on Thursday afternoon how plans for the waste incinerator near Ochiltree have been withdrawn.
Campaigners have been fighting against the proposals since before plans were officially submitted to East Ayrshire Council.
Here's a timeline of events of what unfolded over almost four years.
May 2021
Barr Environmental officially submitted plans for a "state-of-the-art" energy recovery park at the site.
The application was submitted following a public consultation, which was held between December 2020 and February 2021, with feedback used to help finalise the plans.
June 2021
One of the first official protests took place, courtesy of the 'Say No to an Incinerator at Barr/Killoch group', also known as Ayrshire Against Incinerators group (AAI).
Council planning officers were set to conduct their own consultation.
October 7, 2021
After months of protesting, the group stepped up its work to coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) taking place in Glasgow.
October 29, 2021
A landmark date as health bosses at NHS Ayrshire & Arran lodged opposition to plans to instate the energy from waste plant.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran stated that the proposed incinerator "has the potential to detrimentally impact upon our population’s future long-term respiratory health", "particularly children affected with asthma and those with other chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD."
February 2022
A new year, but the same mission.
AAI wanted locals to submit their views to a Scottish Government report looking to hear evidence on the role that incineration should – or shouldn't – play in meeting international requirements on dealing with non-recyclable waste which, in a few years, councils will no longer be able to send to landfill.
April 2022
Barr Environmental plans appeared to be moving forward, as the company submitted new images of what the incinerator might look like.
May 10, 2022
A review into the the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland concluded that no new sites should be built.
The report was commissioned by Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater in November 2021 to find out if the industry was "locking in" waste by creating a demand at incinerator sites.
May 28, 2022
Protestors were once again out in force.
This time, protestors headed to council headquarters in Kilmarnock to let the strength of their feelings be known and hand in hundreds of objections.
December 2022
East Ayrshire Council said it was in favour of a local waste to energy plant to reduce its carbon footprint.
However, the local authority stopped short of backing the controversial Killoch incinerator.
January 2024
After a year of relative silence, plans for the incinerator were withdrawn on the East Ayrshire Council website.
A Barr Environmental spokesperson said: “As part of a business review, we have decided to withdraw our application for the energy recovery plant.
"We will continue to explore other options - outside of waste management - for the use of our Killoch site.”
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