Cllr Tim Hill says- THERE'S A RAY OF LIGHT FOR COVANTA CAMPAIGNERS
Local Campaigners against the giant Covanta Incinerator received a boost for their campaign this week when the Planning Inspector refused to accept that an Incinerator in Derbyshire was needed. This was despite an appeal from the Company wanting to build the Incinerator. The Planning Inspector said that one of the main reasons for turning the application down was, "…emissions from the plant and local residents' concerns about the impact on their health..."
Cllr Tim Hill, Liberal Democrat Stewartby and Wootton Ward, has campaigned alongside local groups to ensure the Incinerator at Stewartby doesn't get built. He said, "This is clearly a signal from the Planning Inspectorate that there is no future for Incinerators. The Inspector mentioned quite clearly the threat of health to the local residents and the emissions from the plant. As well as the perception of health issues it was also clear that the Inspector was very concerned about the traffic impact of the Derbyshire Incinerator.
The Inspector felt that the massive increase in traffic was unacceptable to local residents, and this Incinerator was only a third of the size of the one planned at Stewartby. If this can be such a big factor in an urban area like Derby then triple the number of lorries in a rural area and the impact is so much more."
Cllr Charles Royden, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transportation added, "What is significant about this decision is the lack of a future for the Incinerator. The Inspector felt that since the Councils locally were improving their recycling rates then the 25 year lifespan of the Incinerator would not be sustainable. This has to be taken into consideration when the IPC look at the Stewartby Incinerator. Bedford Borough recycling rates are improving all the time and I understand that our neighbours are in similar positions. This would mean that the Stewartby Incinerator would be bringing waste from further and further away with every passing year and it would make the environmental impact of the Incinerator even worse over time. Imagine 750 lorries per day rumbling past your window and coming from all over the country."
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