MORE than 100 people packed into a village hall this week to hear details of plans for a £1.2m power station.

Waste-to-energy company Bioflame wants to build the plant at its headquarters at South View Farm in Yatts, near Pickering.

The 0.5-megawatt station would burn waste such as old furniture and forestry thinnings to generate electricity.

Bioflame has applied to the North York Moors National Park Authority for permission to install the biomass waste energy generator.

Members are due to discuss the application at their next planning meeting.

A final decision is expected next month.

The proposals have caused controversy among people living nearby, who have raised concerns about the amount of traffic, and what will be burned.

A public meeting was called about the plans, and held in Newton upon Rawcliffe village hall on Monday night.

It was attended by highways and environmental health officials, as well as Victor Buchanan, managing director of Bioflame, and a representative from the National Farmers' Union.

Ian Williams, chairman of Newton upon Rawcliffe and Stape parish council, said the meeting was a success.

He said: "We organised the public meeting because there was a lot of misinformation going round.

"We brought experts in to give facts and figures so people can hear the correct information.

"In principle, people are in favour of alternative energy rather than burning fossil fuels.

"It is not what Mr Buchanan and company are trying to do, it is the location he has chosen to do it in.

"There have been a lot of concerns about the incinerator, particularly from a neighbouring dairy farmer who feels that if there was a fault, it would have a serious effect on his herd and his business."

But Mr Buchanan said the station would be under strict controls from the Environment Agency and would only be visited by one truck, twice a day.

He added: "I fully understand why some of the people have objected, because it is an unknown to them.

"They need to be reassured that we aren't allowed to make any environmental impact because if we do, we will be closed down.