Recently there have been two big commercial operator applications for incineration plants in Bristol and South Glos. I was one of many who submitted points against these applications to the planning committees.

Bristol turned its one down and now South Glos has turned its one down too.

Great news for the environment. We do not need these large monsters of doom burning up scarce resources under the scam mythology promoted by the last Labour Government of energy from waste.

Copy of press release for more information

Media Release South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats.

 

Date: 28^th June 2010 Embargo: immediate release

Contact: Liberal Democrat Group 07785 998147

 

Environmental campaigners celebrate after Severnside Incinerator plans failed to catch light.

 

Environmental campaigners are celebrating after South Gloucestershire’s Development Control West Committee unanimously turned down application for an incinerator on Severnside. The proposals for a 400,000 tonne energy from waste plant failed to convince politicians of its green potential and planning merit. Local Councillor Peter Tyzack, (Pilning and Severn Beach) who would normally Chair the committee stood down and didn’t vote so he could make representation as local councillor. He says he’s glad plans for the incineration plant failed to catch light.

 

Councillor Tyzack said, “The point is that it wasn’t going to be green or good for the environment.  It was to be an incinerator, only marginally better than the old one at Avonmouth. They were trying to make out if you get a bit of electricity from it then that’s supposed to be fine, but at 18% efficiency rate? The publicity by Sita was heavy on the supposed green credentials of the development, but it had two big flaws.  1) there was no guarantee that they would extract the recyclables before burning the rest, they would simply do what was more profitable at the time, including burning plastics, cardboard and wood; and 2) the power from energy efficiency was reported to be less than 20%.”

 

“In order to satisfy environmental considerations we need to remind ourselves of the waste hierarchy, reduce, reuse, and recycle in that order. So the trouble with a large scale facility is that there is a continuing demand for waste to burn. So by having this facility it would be just too easy to burn everything instead of trying to reduce, reuse or recycle.  And whilst we all appreciate the need for energy production the plans showed that it was really an incinerator with some inefficient power generation.”

 

“There is also the crucial point that the Avonmouth/Severnside area already has enough waste facilities, either existing or being built, for the waste that we produce in this sub-region.  If this one were to be built it would mean that we would be taking waste from a very wide area, adding to our traffic levels, in order for it to be a commercially viable plant.”

 

ENDS:

 

NOTES:

Further info contact Cllr Peter Tyzack : 01454 632764

Since that decision there are have been questions as to why the Tesco development application can be successful and the Sita application fail. The area covered by the 1957-8 ICI consents extends as far as Hallen in the south and the coast road to the west.  To explain it is the first build that is covered by the consent, thereafter redevelopment comes under current regulation.  Therefore TESCO could proceed as the consent includes warehousing and distribution. The SITA proposal was a redevelopment and also a ‘change of use’ application, and therefore was different to what is consented.