Mixed response to Plymouth incinerator plans
A LABOUR councillor has welcomed plans by waste company Viridor to build an energy from waste (EfW) plant outside Plymouth.
Mark Lowry, councillor for Honicknowle, has campaigned on behalf of Ernesettle residents, who fear that an incinerator could be built next door to their homes.
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Plymouth, in partnership with Devon County Council and Torbay Council, is in the process of commissioning a waste handling plant for all of South Devon's domestic rubbish.
Viridor is one of three companies that has been shortlisted to build the incinerator, as reported in The Herald yesterday.
Unveiling its plans for an EfW plant at New England Quarry, south of Lee Mill, Viridor said yesterday that it would push ahead with its plans, regardless of whether it wins the bid next Spring or not.
"It would be foolish to build an incinerator in Plymouth when there's going to be a perfectly good one just up the road," Mr Lowry said.
"The council still has to tick the boxes in the tendering process, but there's no purpose in prolonging the exercise."
Mr Lowry said that incineration was a "proven, reliable and safe technology".
"While I would prefer to see 100 per cent recycling, that's not going to happen for a long time."
He said the location of the Viridor plant at New England Quarry was "ideal".
"We can easily ensure that it's not visually intrusive, and it will have a good road network supporting it.
"This is brilliant news and hopefully it will be a relief for many residents in Plymouth who are concerned about an incinerator close to their homes."
Mr Lowry urged residents to recycle. He said that the Conservative city administration had not invested enough in recycling.
Luke Pollard, the Labour Party's candidate to contest the South West Devon constituency in the next General Election, said: "This incinerator plan needs to be looked at carefully to see whether it benefits the local area.
"Residents must have their say and decisions must not be taken behind closed doors."
Neil Tugwell, who lives about half a mile from the planned incinerator, attacked Viridor for a "total greenwash".
Mr Tugwell said: "An incinerator is not the way to deal with rubbish. It's going to be a nightmare for the people of Ivybridge and the surrounding area.
"We should be using another process, like plasma gassification or anaerobic digestion.
"I don't want this in my backyard – and I don't want it anywhere. It will dominate the landscape. We can already see the Langage power station from our house." Mr Tugwell said Viridor had not taken into account emissions from Langage in their calculations about the impact on the environment.
Dan Cooke from Viridor said that Langage emissions would be taken into account, and the company would need a licence from the Environmental Agency to operate.
7 Comments
by Innes MacLean, Keyham, Plymouth
Saturday, September 26 2009, 6:47PM
“No body wants this on their doorstep but the suggested site at Lee Mill is a better suggestion than the Ernesettle site which was very close to residential homes and the river Tamar.”
by nick, plymouth
Friday, September 18 2009, 4:43PM
“Plymouth and Torbay's rubbish is going to be taken to the edge of the national park and dumped till the hole is filled up then an incinerator built on the site? what about the Dioxins in the air, the pollutents leaching into the river Yealm then out to sea, not to mention 150 extra lorries trundling on our already overcrowded roads.”
by james, eghd
Friday, September 11 2009, 9:46PM
“it sounds like a good idea no more mountain size piles of rotting rubbish ploughed into the earth although it may just cause a little annoyance to the people downwind of it "phew".”
by South Hams Nimby's Alliance, South Hams
Friday, September 11 2009, 2:40PM
“Bye Jean ! - don't forget to turn out the lights on your way out.”
by Reg, Efford
Friday, September 11 2009, 1:57PM
“Obviously as Plymouth residents we are pleased that it is outside the city limits, they can argue all they like but these plants pump out poison.
The most annoying thing however, its always the Plymouth mugs that seem to have the short straw, the incinerator plant, rotting nuclear submarines, no airport of any great notoriety, poor road and rail links.”
by Jean, Ivybridge
Friday, September 11 2009, 8:49AM
“We are contacting estate agents today re moving. We came to the South Hams as it is a AONB, it wont be for much longer. Dreadful state of affairs.”
by rubydog, south hams
Friday, September 11 2009, 7:48AM
“If councillor Lowry says this proven reliable and safe technology why was he campaigning against it for his own ward this is not an ideal site and he should check his facts before issuing such statements which may gain him points with his electorate How do you make two potentially 100+ m stacks not visually intrusive in open country side, look at the new power station which can be seen for miles in around Plymouth and this will be even higher what a great welcome to Plymouth!”