by Greg Burns
THE Hedgerley resident who was dubbed “the man who moved a motorway” more than 40 years ago is back on the campaign trail and has Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) and their household waste incinerator proposals in his sights.
Ian Bedford Leno, 83, of Wapseys Lane, earned himself notoriety in 1965 when he mounted a vigilante campaign to prevent the M40, which was to begin construction, passing through Hedgerley, a battle which he won.
But Mr Leno has been forced into action again after what he describes as a “despicable and dishonourable betrayal of the interests of all the local residents” of his small village over the possibility that a household waste incinerator could be built at Wapseys Wood, a site near his home.
Mr Leno said: “It was only because my neighbour sent me the letter about the proposals that I knew anything about it.
“People haven’t been given enough notice and it seems to me that it has been hushed up. I have been living here for a long time and I think I am entitled to expect, as a taxpayer, that they could have spent 32p to send me a letter.”
Under new government guidelines BCC are forced to reduce the amount of landfill and find other ways to manage waste and have recently opted for a household waste incinerator to be built in the county.
Wapseys Wood, off the A40 in Gerrards Cross, and Springfield Farm, off the M40 in Beaconsfield, have both been named as potential sites along with four other options in the north of the county.
But Mr Leno, who accepts that new waste solutions need to be found, has vowed to go head to head with the county council to help protect the village he has lived in since 1962.
He said: “I am going to fight it tooth and nail and I am so angry that I am going to write to Gordon Brown even if I have to knock on the door of number 10 myself.
“This whole area needs protecting because it is a delightful little hamlet and we fought hard over the years to keep it that way. Why should we now watch it being desecrated?
“There must be