ABOUT 200 people voiced their concerns about plans to build a wood-fired power station in Tenbury Wells at a public meeting.

Developer CJ Day Asso-ciates wants to build the biomass plant on land at Bromyard Road Business Park. The site is owned by Worcestershire County Council and Malvern Hills District Council.

Representatives from the Oxfordshire-based developer and the county council put the case for the scheme at the meeting in the Regal cinema, Teme Street. A county council spokesman said the proposal was being looked at as a way of promoting rural regeneration as well as cutting carbon emissions in the area.

However, Phil Wakeman, Tenbury Action Group chairman, raised some of the local peoples' concerns about heavy traffic flow, emissions from the plant, and disruptions to trade in the town. A 1,700-strong petition has been collected.

At the meeting questions were asked about how the power station would be connected to the National Grid. It was explained that a cable would run beneath the road, from the business park to Burford. It would take six months to install.

Lucy Dell, who runs a business in the Teme Valley, said: "Six months of roadworks would hit local shops badly. People would simply shop elsewhere to avoid the congestion. This could kill off a number of local businesses."

There are also concerns about the number of jobs the project would create. The action group says there will only be eight new jobs, while the county council claims there will be 25.

The county's spokesman said concerns about the amount of heavy traffic travelling through the town as a result of the power station is being looked at with the intention of re-routing.He said emission concerns were unfounded as wood-fired power stations have been proved to be safe.

After the meeting, Mr Wakeman said: "It was great that so many people came along. The meeting was lively at times, but a plan to build a power station near houses is bound to create strong feelings."

No planning application has yet been submitted to Malvern Hills District Council, but it is anticipated one will be made next month. No one from CJ Day Associates was available for comment.