A HUGE waste plant planned for Green Belt land in Radlett has dealt a shocking blow to residents still recovering from their colossal railfreight battle.

A company that wants to build an "energy from waste plant" on Green Belt land, off of Harper Lane, near Radlett belonging to quarrying business Lafarge has been shortlisted by the county council as one of two preferred bidders, it was announced last week.

The precise location will not be known until E.ON Energy from Waste AG submits its detailed bid, but the incinerator is likely to be on the Harper lane Complex in Radlett, near to the former Handley Page airfield, between Radlett and Shenley, where residents have just fought off a railfreight terminal in an exhausting planning dispute.

Critics insist the plant will be no more than a traditional incinerator, blighting its immediate environment with dangerous fumes and heavy lorries. The incinerator, critics also say, will increase traffic on the already heavily congested A5183 linking Radlett with Colney Street and Park Street.

Speaking following the announcement on Friday, Hertsmere MP James Clappison, who represents Radlett, said: "I am extremely concerned about this proposal and I am very anxious that local voices are heard."

Mr Clappison has called a meeting with county councillor for Watling ward Caroline Clapper, who sits on the council's environment and planning committee, to discuss a plan of action.

Responding to Mr Clappison's request, Councillor Clapper said: "This proposal has just been brought to my attention and I have to say it is a bit of a surprise. Clearly my initial reaction is that residents of Radlett will be unlikely to welcome the news that an 'Energy from Waste' plant may be sited on their front door.

"I think it is unlikely that it will deliver any tangible benefits to our community and I will certainly be exploring the implications of this tender in detail and discussing it with key stakeholders with a view to ensuring the interests of Radlett are protected."

The massive processing plant - converting household rubbish into heat and electricity for at least 20,000 homes across the county - is already causing concern for residents who were barely given a moment to digest news of their victory in the railfreight saga when threats of a waste plant emerged.

Stop the Rail Freight Exchange(STRiFE) campaigner Cathy Bolshaw said: "Obviously it's worrying and it's disturbing - it's the last thing we need. I think to be able to comment any further we need to have to know further details, but in principle it's quite worrying."

Outraged by the announcement, Aislinn Lee, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Park Street, accused the authority of treating the village as a sacrificial lamb.

"Before even the ink has dried from the Minister's pen on the Railfreight Inquiry, the county council strikes another blow to the community in Park Street," she said.

"It is a disgrace that I was only told this week about this major and highly sensitive issue in the area I represent.

"I am outraged that the district council has only just been informed and yet again this proposal is in a key Green Belt area.

"If this kind of facility is necessary in Hertfordshire, then Hertfordshire councillors should decide where it goes and it should certainly not be in a vibrant village settlement surrounded by its most congested and fragile road network in the county - It really feels like the county council has offered the community of Park Street up as the sacrificial lamb."

The authority's other preferred bidder, Veolia Environmental Services, wants to build the plant on the New Barnfield former school site in Hatfield, which has drawn a huge swell of opposition over the last two years. An ever increasing chorus of critics insist the waste treatment plant will cause dangerous pollution, despite the county council’s reassurance that the project will, if built, conform to stringent regulation to safeguard health, and generate traffic problems because of vehicles carrying waste to the site.

Costing more than £200 million to build, the plant will be designed to generate 200 Megawatts of electricity, enough to power 20,000 homes.

Tenders, including precise locations, access arrangements, and costs, will be submitted in December, with a sole preferred bidder appointed in June 2011.

The planning process will take at least a year, with construction not likely to start before August 2012.

The plant could be operating by spring 2015, and will be designed to process the county's estimated annual waste surplus of 320,000 tonnes by 2039.