CONTROVERSIAL plans for a huge cattle burner in an East Cleveland village were in the spotlight yesterday.

Members of the North York Moors National Park planning committee were considering the bid to put the round-the-clock incinerator at Charltons, near Guisborough.

The scheme has already sparked protests.

The committee decided to defer discussion on the plan to allow further detailed information to be gathered and to hold a site visit.

Businessman Edward Noddings says the facility is vital if his company - which has been in the village since the Twenties - is to survive.

Mr Noddings, who runs a horse and cattle slaughtering firm on a local industrial estate, says because of tough new EU rules in the wake of foot-and-mouth disease, they have no choice but to take action.

The new burner would be twice as big as one already at the Stable House site.

A protest petition of more than 100 signatures has been drawn up, claiming the furnace would create excessive noise, smell and traffic in the tiny village.

Councillors and local MP Dr Ashok Kumar have also weighed in against the scheme, but some residents are not too upset by the proposals, feeling the change would have little impact.

Dr Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said there must be better places for the burner, which would be 4.3m long, 2m wide, 3.5m high and with a total height, including flue, of 12m.

The incinerator would be oil-fired with a potential capacity of 500kg of carcase.

The national park's development control manager, Mark Southerton, said Mr Noddings had indicated that, for efficiency, the burner was best used on a continual basis.

The application is in its very early stages and Mr Noddings had asked for it to go before yesterday's planning committee for initial consideration.

"He needs the matter to be aired as he has to apply to Defra for consents on the animal handling involved," said Mr Southerton.

Park planning officers were not making any recommendations to the members at this stage as they did not have all the information they needed.

The present burner, which deals with small domestic pets, does not run on a 24-hour basis and is on a temporary consent which expires in 2009.

Mr Noddings' business is quite close to homes and next to the entrance is a community centre.

"There has been a long-standing business on the site involving meat recovery and dead stock so people could have got used to it," said Mr Southerton.

Dr Kumar said: "It seems an inappropriate place for such a development.

"I am sure there are better sites rather than have this imposed on a small community in a rural setting.

Mr Noddings said the new rules meant he was no longer able to dissect animals before burning them so a bigger incinerator which could take whole carcases was necessary.

"It won't make any difference to the number of carcases coming to the site," he said.