EVERYONE who went to the Belvedere incinerator inquiry last summer is being urged to support proposals to reopen it.

"Even those who attended one of the evening meetings in Belvedere or Thamesmead should write," according to Belvedere councillor Daniel Francis.

People have been waiting since last October for inspector Keith Smith's decision on whether Riverside Resource Recovery should be allowed to build the 585,000-tonne waste-to-energy incinerator on a 54-acre riverfront site off Norman Road, Belvedere.

He decided the project should get the green light.

But since the 13-week inquiry, a new waste policy and Ken Livingstone's London Plan have been published.

Both would rule out the Belvedere incinerator. Mr Smith found it was acceptable to transport west London's waste to Belvedere and that the "proximity principle" should be region-wide, as in London-wide, and not localised. This contradicts the London Plan.

Because of the conflict, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt was not prepared to endorse the inspector's recommendation. She also disagreed with his finding that Norman Road could be upgraded after the incinerator was built.

Instead, she has written to all the main participants in the inquiry, including major objectors, asking for their views on whether the inquiry should be reopened.

Bexley Council has already written asking for the inquiry to be resumed. Council leader Councillor Chris Ball described Mrs Hewitt's letter as "leaning in our favour."

MP for the Norman Road area, John Austin, said he had been pressing Mrs Hewitt to reopen the inquiry and welcomed her decision but added: "the champagne is sill on ice".

John Mankerty from the campaign group BADAIR (Belvedere and District Against Incinerator Risks) said: "We believe Mrs Hewitt's intervention is a good sign and we shall be urging her to resume the inquiry."

It is thought, if the inquiry is reopened, it will deal only with the new policies published since 2003 and the Norman Road question.

Write to Gary Mohammed, Room 2123, Department of Trade and Industry, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET, before February 18.