IT looks as if Westfield is to be in the middle of a major debate as plans for a waste incinerator at the former opencast mining seat are set to be deliberated on.

Councillors will be asked to make a decision on the application by Brockwell Energy for the incinerator which could be part of the redeveloped site which may also house several green energy operations.

For over five decades Westfield, between Ballingry and Cardenden, was the site for Europe’s deepest hole as millions of tons of coal was mined while the Lurgi Gasification Plant produced gas from some of the produce which went into the national gas grid.

When the project was at its peak it was often controversial with problems with smells emanating from the site and dust problems in dry weather.

So when the site was talked up as a green energy site it was like a complete about turn for Westfield and the arrival of the four unit wind farm was the start of ‘the future’.

With many plans in the pipeline for green energy facilities there was a real surprise when the industrial incinerator proposal came from Brockwell and it was bound to bring concerns from certain quarters.

Councillors are going to face a difficult task on this issue for as Brockwell say being able to incinerate rubbish that cannot be recycled has to be important for hitting targets but as Green Party MSP Mark Ruskell claims, how can an industrial sized incinerator be part of a green energy park.

There would certainly seem to be key questions that need to be answered before any decision is made but history tells the story.

Westfield has always held controversy about it and in its new form that is set to remain. Over the coming months the debate will really gather pace.