URGENT – Re: Javelin Park – Mass Burn Incinerator – Last Chance To Take Action.
Dear Kingsway Resident,
Residents in and around Kingsway may be aware through reports in the local media that the County Council has received the planning application for the development of a mass burn incinerator on the Javelin Park site in nearby Haresfield. To put this in to geographical context, the Kingsway local centre is less than 4 miles ‘downwind’ of this facility which would operate for 25 years, if licensed to operate. It should be noted that the Bristish Isles receives a prevailing South Westerly wind off the Atlantic Ocean and the Severn Vale funnels this naturally in our direction.
In effect, nature will help to transmit the plume and its emissions over Kingsway and a significant swathe of the Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenham Districts. Unlike council areas, however, emissions do not coveniently stop at administative boundaries and we should, for the sake of current and future generations, consider the wider effects on the atmosphere and how this is likely to influence air quality and climate change.
The Association and residents individually have an opportunity to express any objections, concerns or comments, however, these need to be submitted ASAP. The Council have been ambiguous over submission deadlines, origially citing 17th April as the deadline. However, the Council must consider all comments right up until the time in which they formally consider the application at ‘planning committee’. This is likely to be JUNE but residents are advised to make their submission ASAP given the gravity of concerns expressed across Gloucestershire and the wider country on the issue of incineration. Individualised comments are considered to be more powerful and it’s important that residents publicly raise these concerns either online or by other means.
There are a great many concerns about this facility, primarily around emissions and their effects on children whose organs are still in development. Elderly adults and those with respiratory issues are also vulnerable as are those adults where there has been any history of Cancer in their family of origin. These may take many years to incubate and it is difficult to directly link incineration with poorer health outcomes. However, research has been, and continues to be carried out, and there is growing concern amongst medical professionals and people who live in close proximity to incinerators. This concern is based on research that links ‘morbidity’ and infant mortality to emissions from modern incinerators (or ‘Energy from Waste’ facilities to coin the industry’s term). It should be noted that health monitoring around incinerators is not carried out continuously and moreover, is placed in the hands of the plant operator who will have a vested commercial interest – please refer to the attached article in Private Eye which provides some thorough journalistic insight.
As an area that benefits from a lot of modern, affordable and social housing, Kingsway is especially vulnerable. Its demographic profile is more comparable with a city like Birmingham or Leicester than Gloucestershire and the UK as a whole. This is especially true if you consider the number of families, children and average age as a whole. Kingsway is well within the incinerator’s area of outfall for emissions which will carry some very toxic emissions. Some of these are known to be carcinogenic, a fact that no credible scientist, government official or politician can refute. However, incinerators tend to be situated in poorer urban areas with higher ‘background’ emissions from industry and traffic and this is enabling the plant operators to gain planning approval in some areas, even where there has been strong and well marshalled public opposition. It is part of a well rehearsed, stealthy, successful but morally corrupt strategy.
The incinerator firms are generally large multi-nationals backed by City financial institutions and it’s possible that during a time when the public are starting to come to terms with the scale of corruption in financial, journalistic and political circles, that standing governments and some of their political representatives are secretly benefitting from these deals which are being brokered privately and in the face of strong public opposition. This makes a mockery of the UK Government’s so-called Localism Agenda and is fundamentally undemocratic. Whilst this may seem unfair to many, it does help to account for the wrong-minded support amongst members of the Gloucestershire Conservative Party, who are primarily interested in scaremongering ‘tax payers’ about landfill taxes and austerity measures. In short, their personal, political and commercial interests outweigh any of the serious and authentic concerns that exist over public health. Those politicians clearly value their careers more than the legitimate concerns expressed by their constituents.
In every aspect, this £500mn project is risk positive; on commercial, environmental and ecological grounds. If you care about your health and well being, I strongly advise fellow residents to familiarise themselves with this proposition. Many of the politicians, officials and business people responsible for this project live many miles from Haresfield and Kingsway, yet they are gambling with YOUR future.
If, like me, you are very busy, the easiest way to raise an objection is through the automated online response embedded within Glosvain’s web site. This can take as little as one minute and transmits a generic objection which covers many of the concerns expressed above and by other Kingsway and Gloucestershire residents. These will be officially received and recorded by the Council’s planning department and legally, they have to be considered before any decision is made. You are free to adapt this objection as you see fit.
THIS IS THE LINK FROM WHICH TO RAISE OBJECTION.
ALTERNATIVELY, COMMENTS CAN BE RAISED DIRECTLY THROUGH THE COUNCIL’S OFFICIAL WEB SITE – THIS MAY TAKE A LITTLE LONGER BUT IS COMPARATIVELY EASY TO USE:
Step 1 – Visit This Page.
Step 2 – Click on “I have read the Important and Copyright Notices below and agree to the terms”.
Step 3 – Type “Javelin Park” into the search (less the speech quotes).
Step 4 – Click on “Proposed development of an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility….”.
Step 5 – Click on ‘Make a Public Comment’.
Step 6 – Populate the web form and submit your comments.
Finally, I would advise residents to remain sceptical about comments they may have read or heard about this being a “done deal”. This is not only undemocratic, but factually incorrect. If Urbaser are granted planning approval, the battle will intensify and the evidence base will only expand in favour of those who value their health, the environment…and the depth of their pockets.
My sincere best wishes to you and your family.
Concerned Kingsway Resident.
Enclosed: (1) Private Eye article
Editors Note: Previous posts on this subject:
Javelin Park Incinerator – Bidders’ Consultation – Exhibition 2
Kingsway RA Public Meeting
Infant Deaths Three to Four Times Higher Downwind of Incinerators
Have You Voted Yet?
Meeting with Richard Graham and Fred Wood
March Against Incineration – Saturday 18 April 2009
Related Documents:
Residents Association Minutes 23rd November 2011
Glosvain Presentation to Residents Association Meeting (23rd November 2011)
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