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Waste strategy in tatters as councillors veto incinerator plans (From Oxford Mail)
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Waste strategy in tatters as councillors veto incinerator plans
7:22pm Monday 19th October 2009
Oxfordshire County Council’s £100m plans for a waste incinerator were dealt a bodyblow today when its own planning committee rejected schemes to build at both Ardley and Sutton Courtenay.
The committee had been recommended to approve both planning applications by Viridor at Ardley — the council’s chosen tenderer — and a rival bid by Waste Recycling Group for Sutton Courtenay.
But they threw out both applications on the grounds that they conflict with district council Local Plans for both areas, which aim to protect the open countryside from “large permanent buildings”.
Protesters who have fought against both schemes were delighted last night – but it remained unclear what the next step by both Viridor and Oxfordshire County Council would be.
County spokesman Paul Smith said: “Following the decisions today, the county council will consider its options.”
The proposed Ardley incinerator would be able to burn up to 300,000 tonnes of non-recylable waste a year. The county council’s cabinet last month chose Viridor’s tender to run a facility for 25 years.
The planning committee rejected Viridor’s application by nine votes to five, while WRG’s bid was rejected by seven votes to six.
Jon O’Neill, chairman of Ardley Against the Incinerator, thanked councillors who voted against giving planning permission.
He said: “It was good to see councillors making their own decisions and not being whipped along party political lines.
“There may be a chance for Viridor to appeal against this decision and we will be ready to fight.”
Callum MacKenzie, a spokesman for Sutton Courtenay against the Incinerator, said: “This is great news for Oxfordshire.
“WRG could not convince councillors that they would properly seal off any hazardous waste before it was transported for disposal and I think that tipped the balance in our favour.
“The vote was too close for comfort, but I think WRG would be foolish to persist with their plans now.”
Fellow Sutton Courtenay campaigner Edmund Rowley-Williams added: “This is very good news, but we remain on our guard in case WRG try to reverse the process.”
Out of 15 county councillors on the planning committee, 10 were Conservative, two Labour and two Liberal Democrat, with Ploughley Tory county councillor Catherine Fulljames deciding not to vote after she was advised that she should declare an interest.
She lives near Ardley and said: “I would have voted against the incinerator because it would have been an eyesore and traffic in the surrounding area would have increased significantly.”
Ardley campaigners told the committee they were concerned about increased traffic on the B430 and on the M40.
John Tanner, Labour county councillor for Isis, said: “Putting waste in holes in the ground is the worst thing you can do.
“The next worst thing you can do is set fire to it.
“Cherwell district council’s objection to the Ardley incinerator is that there would be a permanent industrial building in rural open land.
“This is yesterday’s technology and nobody knows how much waste will be created over the next 25 years.”
Following the meeting, Alan Armitage, Liberal Democrat county councillor for West Central Oxford, said the two firms could appeal against the council’s decision.
He added: “They could appeal to the Government and an appeal could prompt a planning inquiry.”
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Your Say YourOxford
mark.dot, dorchester on thames says...
7:43pm Mon 19 Oct 09
tanchris, oxford says...
7:29am Tue 20 Oct 09
Megs, sutton courtenay says...
9:06am Tue 20 Oct 09
doozer, Abingdon says...
9:49am Tue 20 Oct 09
But you know this....don't you?
You'll also know that the harmful effects of burning rubbish - the effects on human-healt,h won't only effect 'my back yard'...but will effect a large surrounding area...so if you live anywhere in Oxfordshire (and indded some info suggests anywhere in the UK), then YOU will be affected by incineration.
But you may know this already too.
Nick Mawer, Bicester says...
10:40am Tue 20 Oct 09
This is however not the end of the story, because unless we stop sending rubbish to landfill the European Union will start hitting us with swinging fines. This is a classic case of the law of unintended consequence. The bureaucrats in Brussels certainly did not envisage that countries would start producing thousands of tonnes of Carbon Dioxide and toxic waste because it was easier to do that than increase rates of re-cycling.
So we have it in our hands to stop any requirement for incinerators by re-cycling more and persuading suppliers to reduce packaging.
Then we either tell Brussels where to stick their landfill charges, or we shut up and pay up.
Megs, sutton courtenay says...
11:05am Tue 20 Oct 09
colbart, Abingdon says...
11:09am Tue 20 Oct 09
They are planning to convert from coal.
Steve Gerrish, Kidlington says...
11:23am Tue 20 Oct 09
Pensfold, Marsh Gibbon says...
11:59am Tue 20 Oct 09
The solution is to use "plasma converters" which incinerate the waste in an enclosed unit without any emissions to the atmosphere. They are also smaller buildings, have no chimney and are lower cost than mass burn incinerators.
ItsTom, Oxford says...
12:08pm Tue 20 Oct 09
GEC, Long wittenham says...
12:29pm Tue 20 Oct 09
Michael Ryan, Shrewsbury says...
1:06pm Tue 20 Oct 09
The letter back from HPA will confirm that they haven't examined any of the above data. This failure by HPA hasn't stopped them pontificating on the health effects of incineration and it hasn't stopped Councillors, the Environment Agency, Primary Care Trusts & many MPs from believing them.
We, the taxpayers, are bankrolling the above & the HPA have fallen down badly on the job they are supposed to be doing. The HPA needs to be disbanded and the last five years salaries paid to all staff seized.
It's our lives that are being tossed away by the negligence of the HPA.
See Justin McCracken's letter to me about the HPA's failure at www.ukhr.org
Kind regards,
Michael Ryan,
Shrewsbury
PrewB, Long Wittenham says...
1:24pm Tue 20 Oct 09
SWinSC, Sutton Courtenay says...
1:33pm Tue 20 Oct 09
SWinSC, Sutton Courtenay says...
1:39pm Tue 20 Oct 09
rabbs, Nr. Bicester says...
1:40pm Tue 20 Oct 09
johnwards, Ardley says...
2:20pm Tue 20 Oct 09
She was told that she could have 10 minutes to speak but the Chairman only gave her 5 minutes which ran to 6 until he cut her off and was very rude to her. She rightly walked out at this point.
Being Scottish it is actually impossible to vote for a Tory but Catherines concern on this matter and her honesty may convince me to change my mind next time around...well to vote for her not the Tories...
Querying, Abingdon says...
2:25pm Tue 20 Oct 09
johnwards, Ardley says...
2:45pm Tue 20 Oct 09
Current levels of residential waste is 170,000 tonnes and falling. The plan was to build a 300,000 capacity incinerator.
Vidor were asked if they would be interested in a smaller capacity facility, of course they said no as they wouldn't be able to make all the extra money from the other counties that would have imported their waste.
If we do need an incinerator then it needs to be a small scale of 50,000 tonnes and centrally located in an already industrial area. Not in the countryside, the outskirts of Oxford would be idea.
That is of course if the technology is as good as they say it is, and lots of people say it isn't...
Michael Ryan, Shrewsbury says...
4:49pm Tue 20 Oct 09
Shropshire Council have also ignored the fact that Veolia have a contract with Dow Corning, in Midland, Michigan, to operate a plasma gasification plant to safely dispose of hazardous waste that had formerly been trucked to incineration in Texas.
Plasma gasification is the safest & cheapest method of waste disposal and leaves zero ash for landfill - unlike incineration.
Plasma gasification is cheaper & safer than incineration & leaves no residue for landfill. What more do you want?
The Inspector at the Shropshire Waste plan public inquiry was very interested in plasma gasification & quizzed Dr van Steenis on it. Here we are, over 5 years later & still no plasma gasification in UK.
Kind regards,
Michael Ryan,
Shrewsbury
Sophia, Oxford says...
8:10pm Tue 20 Oct 09
EB, Oxford says...
9:51pm Tue 20 Oct 09
ItsTom wrote:Not enough room - let's dump it all in your head, it's big enough and there's clearly nowt else in there...
Just dump it all in the Thames
rabbs, Nr. Bicester says...
10:06pm Tue 20 Oct 09
Richard Clarke, Abingdon says...
12:36am Wed 21 Oct 09
In an attempt to persuade councillors that the scenic Vale would not be dominated by a monstrous incinerator, he mused that some form of clean-coal power station would arise after 2015 when the Didcot A plant has to be demolished. Much as electricity operators might welcome Councillor Hayward’s planning pre-consent, there is little chance of a clean-coal station at Didcot.
It would not be profitable, as its operations would be constrained by engineering realities. Millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide would have to be carried by rail to the North Sea coast, doubling the coal-related freight load on an already over-loaded network. If the waste gas were piped out you could drive a bus down the inside of the pipe and, in any case, there are no nearby spent gas reservoirs to pipe it to!
Might I suggest that OCC send a delegation to Didcot to get some facts, given the great importance of now finding a 21st Century solution for Oxfordshire’s waste materials?
Below the skyline, and away from the planning furore, there is excellent low carbon research being conducted and it is to be hoped that one day much of the Didcot site might follow the South Oxfordshire tradition of becoming a world leading research centre.
Richard Clarke, Abingdon
lespaulthroughamarshall, ardley says...
12:51am Wed 21 Oct 09
TessaSC, Sutton Courtenay says...
6:02pm Wed 21 Oct 09
Filet O Fish, Golden Arches says...
4:40am Thu 22 Oct 09
Residents demonstrate outside County Hall
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Kinetic, Sutton Courtenay says...
7:42pm Mon 19 Oct 09