THE secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles has delayed making a decision on the Javelin Park incinerator application until November 30.

Mr Pickles had originally set himself a deadline of tomorrow, Wednesday, for deciding the fate of the controversial £500 million project.

However, in an email sent to GlosVAIN this afternoon by an official at the department for communities and local government, the anti-incineration group was informed that the secretary of state would now "issue his decision on or before November 30."

A letter from the DCLG attached to the email set out the reasons for the delay.

It said: "GlosVAIN, a Rule 6 party to the appeal, wrote to the secretary of state on August 1, 2014. Their letter purports to describe new information, material to the  secretary of state’s decision on this appeal.

"In particular, GlosVAIN’s letter informs  the secretary of state that Gloucestershire County Council granted planning permission on May 20, 2014 to Cory Environmental Ltd for the construction and operation of a new 30,000 tonnes per annum anaerobic digestion plant at Wingmoor Farm West, Stoke Road, Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire.

"GlosVAIN states that this permission undermines the need for the Javelin Park proposal before the secretary of state.

"In the circumstances of this case the secretary of state now offers persons entitled to appear at the inquiry who appeared at it, the opportunity to submit written representations in respect of whether this additional information affects the case put to the inspector at the inquiry, or subsequently to the secretary of state."

The letter continues to say: "The secretary of state considers that he will not be in a position to reach a decision on the appeal by September 17, 2014, as previously notified, because of the need to allow parties time to deal with the matter...

"Therefore, in exercise of the power conferred on him by paragraph 6(2) of Schedule 2 to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the secretary of state hereby gives notice that he has varied the timetable for his decision previously set, and will now issue his decision on or before 30 November 2014."