The government is to decide whether a controversial £100m renewable energy plant in Swanscombe can be built.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark will have the final say on proposals by Teal Energy for a power plant in Manor Way after the application was called in by his predecessor Eric Pickles.

The public inquiry is due to start on Tuesday, July 21 and is scheduled to last 10 days but there is no time limit on a final decision by Mr Clark.

The plant will produce renewable energy from non-recyclable commercial waste, enough to generate electricity to power 45,000 homes and London Paramount, although the resort is against the scheme.

Gravesham and Dartford councils objected to the scheme on the grounds of increased traffic and fears it could have an impact on the £2bn resort but it was approved by Kent County Council (KCC) in September.

Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council objected to the application with concerns about the environmental impact of the site. It was also opposed by businesses and neighbours.

Proposals predict an average of 108 HGV deliveries to the site daily between 7am and 7pm, with routes including Stanhope Road and Swanscombe High Street.

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson spoke out against the power plant when the plans got the green light from KCC.

According to Teal Energy, the power plant, which will operate around the clock, will be housed in two steel-framed buildings. The fuel will be stored in a building on the northern site. This would be connected by a conveyor to an energy plant housed on the southern site, which would be 65m high with a chimney stack as tall as Canterbury Cathedral.

The firm said: “Our proposal differs from established energy-from-waste plans, which traditionally have been mass incineration of non-recycled waste.

“We use clean, advanced conversion technology to generate renewable energy by converting residual recyclates – the material left after recycling – into an energy-rich gas and using this to generate electricity. It is considered to be a virtually carbon-neutral and clean technology.”

A Teal Energy spokesman said he felt “exceptionally disappointed” at the way the firm had been treated. He said: “We believe Kent needs this to be at the forefront of environmental technology.” The plant would take two years to build.

The public are welcome to go to the inquiry at the Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel, Hollingbourne, from 10am on Tuesday, July 21.