THE long campaign against the Dovesdale Incinerator, near Blackwood, appears to be at an end after campaigners lost their Judicial Review case against the council.
Campaigners from the Dovesdale Action Group went to the Court of Session in Edinburgh in October to challenge the decision of South Lanarkshire Council to grant planning permission for the waste treatment facility.
However, they received confirmation at the weekend that the Judicial Review had sided with South Lanarkshire's planners and the developer Scotgen.
"This is disappointing news but the impact of this verdict will be far reaching," said campaign spokesman Gareth Jones.
"This has been an expensive and intensive process, but we have to regroup and decide just how and where our protest will go from here."
Councillors had taken the original decision despite over 20,000 objections.
Gareth added: "As was proved in last May's Holyrood elections, those associated politically with this decision making process suffered at the polls.
"So those who took this flawed decision will be targeted ahead of and during the forthcoming council elections."
The bitter fight to keep the incinerator from being built began in 2010 when plans were first announced by Scotgen.
Over 20,000 people, from across Clydesdale and other parts of
South Lanarkshire, objected to the council one of the highest number of objections ever received by the local authority.
The issue also brought different sides of the political spectrum together with the then Labour Clydesdale MSP Karen Gillon, Aileen Campbell, at the time a list MSP, and Liberal Democrat list MSP Jim Hume all objecting.
Aileen said: "I share the campaign group's disappointment with the outcome of the Review.
"As a local MSP, I have always maintained that this is the wrong site for this kind of facility.
"The local community has always been overwhelmingly opposed to the plans and my office has been in touch with the local campaigners to continue to offer my assistance in any way I can.
"Though boundary changes mean the Dovesdale site is no longer within my constituency, I will be working alongside the MSP for the area, Christina McKelvie, to ensure the views of my constituents are represented".
When councillors approved the plans last February, there were angry scenes amid disbelief.
Among the councillors who voted for the Dovesdale plans were Clydesdale councillors Alex Allison, Hamish Stewart, Alex Mclnnes and Mary McNeill.
However, one of the main factors in the application being pushed through was the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) withdrawing its objection.
This week a Scotgen spokesman could not give the Gazette a time when the site would be fully operational, adding that the company had a series of consultation exercises to finish before work could even begin on constructing the facility.