Protect Virginia Water - InCineration Plant
Wentworth Residents Association (WRA) & Residents against Incineration (RAI)
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Arial view of the site next to Virginia Water (click thumbnail to enlarge) |
Incinerator compared to St Paul's (click thumbnail to enlarge) |
The campaign logo - please copy and put on your website and link back to this page |
5 Dec 2008
Without fail it is during a holiday period that the Incinerator issue is raising its head once again.
Surrey Waste Management has applied with the Environment Agency for an Environmental Permit to operate an Incinerator at Trumps Farm. which states....
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"Advertisement of an application for an environmental permit under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007
Name of applicant: Surrey Waste Management Limited
Application number: EP3635GV (EAEPREP3635GVA001)
Type of regulated facility: Waste Incinerator
Address of regulated facility: Trumps Farm Energy-from Waste Facility, Land Adjacent to Trumps Farm, Kitsmead Lane. Longcross, Surrey.
The Environment Agency has received an application for an Environmental Permit under the Regulations from Surrey Waste Management Limited.
The application contains a description of: the installation; the materials, substances and energy it will use and generate; the conditions of its site; the source, nature and quantity of its foreseeable emissions and their significant effects on the environment; the proposed techniques for preventing, reducing, and monitoring its emissions and preventing and recovering waste; and an outline of the main alternatives, if any, considered.
This information is held in registers at the following locations: Surrey County Council, Contact Centre, Floor 3, Conquest House, Wood Street, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 1AB and The Environment Agency, Swift House, Frimley Business Park, Camberley, Surrey, GU16 7SQ
You can inspect these registers free of charge during normal office hours (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday). You may obtain a copy of documents on the register. A charge may be made to cover the costs of copying.
Your comments
Any comments should be made in writing before 9th January 2009 to the Environment Agency, Permitting Support Centre, PO Box 4209, Sheffield, S9 9BS."
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Should you wish to register your concerns/objections against the Incinerator based on
- health implications (inhalation of particles, exposure to toxicants, effects on adults and children)
- pollution (air, noise)
Put your concerns/objections in a letter to
The Environment Agency, Permitting Support Centre, PO Box 4209, Sheffield, S9 9BS
Application number: EP3635GV
The Planning Application hearing at Surrey County Council is currently scheduled for January 14th. The Environment Agency decision forms part of the application process.
In less than 10 minutes, you can make a massive difference, by writing the letter to the Environment Agency and passing this email on to your friends and neighbours.
Happy Holidays.
Kind regards
Constantin Schwarz
Residents Against Incineration
cs@ipfactor.com
Presentation on You Tube
The presentation made on 18th June at the public meeting is now available on you Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSRmdoge2KE
Funds
The campaign needs money to mount a legal battle - please pledge what you can - the pledge form is available here in Word Format. Unused monies will be refunded to each donor pro rata to the level of donation made.
Critical date for your next action - after planning submission
The next critical date in the campaign is after the official planning submission has been made to Surrey County Council. We publish on this site when that submission has been made. Once that submission has been made it is critical that individuals make their objections. These objections should be individual letters NOT photocopied letters. The letter should contain some or all of the points below and be sent to....
Ms Hilary Herbert (hilary.herbert@surreycc.gov.uk)
Planning Manager
Surrey County Council
County Hall
Penrhyn Road
Kingston upon Thames
Surrey KT1 2DN
Copies to:
Mrs Angela Fraser DL, Chairman of Council (angela.fraser@surreycc.gov.uk)
Mr Nick Skellett, Leader and Chairman of Executive (n.skellett@surreycc.gov.uk)
Dr. Richard Shaw, Chief Executive (richard.shaw@surreycc.gov.uk)
Mr David Harmer, Executive Member, Environment (david.harmer@surreycc.gov.uk)
Mrs Pat Frost, Chairman, Planning and Regulatory Committee (pat.frost@surreycc.gov.uk)
All at same address as Ms Hilary Herbert
Summary of points of objection for planning submission
Below is the summary of the key facts made available at the presentation On 18th June 2008 at Wentworth Ballroom in the presence of Philip Hammond MP, Geoff Woodger Borough Councillor, and Peter Sims, Director Technical Services of Runnymede Borough Council. You can download this in Word format here.
Please include some or all of these points of objection to the planning application (after it has been submitted)...
PROXIMITY
- Why has the incinerator site been selected when just 6 miles from the Trumps Green Farm site there is an incinerator of 440,000mt p.a. capacity which is currently transporting municipal waste to fill capacity?
- Only 40% of waste comes from the 4 local boroughs so Trumps Green Farm cannot be near to the main sources of waste
- What about the Greenhouse gas impact of HGVs transporting waste from outside the immediate locality and removal of incinerated waste afterwards? A more central location would reduce such impact and limit pollution from additional traffic.
SITE SELECTION
- Why has the Wisley site been ignored despite being included in the waste plan? Given its central location, traffic access via M25/A3 and its prior airfield use it is much better placed to receive waste from major conurbations such as Epsom, Guildford and Kingston
- Why were only 2 sites selected out of a possible 80?
- What impact did the terms of Surrey County Council’s PFI contract have on the process?
- How was it that SCC entered into a contractual agreement to deliver sites for waste incineration in 1999 when the Waste Strategy was only adopted in May 2008?
- Had SCC pre-selected the Trumps Green Farm site well before adoption of the Waste Strategy by purchasing it from the Highways Agency in March 2007?
- Why has SCC referred to Trumps Green Farm and the Capel sites as “preferred”? Have all the other sites been automatically discounted without full investigation? How robust was the site selection process?
- Based on SCC’s recycling target of 60% by 2025, what will happen to approximately 140,000mt p.a. “surplus” waste if there are only 2 sites in the county?
HIGHWAY NETWORK
- The local highway network is clearly inadequate to absorb the thousand of extra HGV movements.
- There are no plans to improve the local highway network to cope with the additional traffic.
- Despite the showing of “designated routes” on the plans no monitoring of routes is proposed or practically feasible.
- There has been no cumulative impact study to include the proposed nearby development of the former DERA site for business park and/or residential use. An additional 2,500 dwellings, as suggested, would create many thousands of additional traffic movements to add to the HGVs.
- Trumps Green Farm fails the test of being well connected to the strategic highway network.
- The site cannot be described as being well located with regard to sources of waste if only 40% of the waste being dealt with is generated locally.
GREEN BELT
- Development on GREEN BELT sites is permitted only where “very special circumstances” exist. These “special circumstances” have not been proved.
- Documentation issued in connection with the site refers to it as “despoilt” and previously developed. This is not correct. SCC is on record as confirming that the site had been restored to its previous status as agricultural use in accordance with the planning conditions then applicable.
- Recent SITA/SCC vehicle activity on the site is hampering the natural recovery process
- The prior owners – Highways Agency – failed to restore the site adequately after temporary use during M3 construction but that, of itself, does not resuly in loss of GREEN BELT status.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
- Chobham Common is protected under the SPA and SAC Regulations. The Waste Strategy fails to prove that there is NOT likely to be a negative impact on the site through increase in NOx emissions.
- Cumulative build-up of NOx emissions from the M3 and proposed new departure routes for aircraft from Heathrow may not have been considered
- Although prevailing winds are from the south west, significant annual wind variability gives rise to a likely impact on the Common.
- Incinerator emissions may produce significant impact in adverse wind or weather conditions – such as temperature inversion.
- If in doubt on likely impacts it is necessary to apply the Precautionary Principle which would eliminate this site for incineration purposes.
- No PM2.5 particle emissions studies have been included when considering health impact on humans.
- There are no emergency plans in respect of e.g. fire on the site.
ECONOMICS AND GREENHOUSE GAS IMPACT
- No economic case has been presented for the “energy from waste” claim.
- No impact study has been issued on the total greenhouse gas emissions arising from this facility and its associated additional transport requirements.
Background
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| The Landfill site - click here to download a more detailed map in PDF format (it is approx 1.1MB). |
Dimensions
- 160,000 tonnes per annum capacity one stream EfW plant.
- 170 metres long, varying from 20 – 70 metres wide and from 18m – 40m in height.
- The stack will be 85 metres in height, as measured from base level of which 45 metres will be above the building.
Construction
- To begin in 2009, subject to planning consent.
- Construction and commissioning will take approximately three years.
- Up to 150 temporary construction jobs will be created.
- The facility will be fully operational in 2012.
- Design and build costs estimated to be over £75 million.
Staffing
- Up to 45 full time staff will be employed at the facility one it is up and running
- There will be a Visitors Centre providing community waste minimisation and recycling education programmes and exhibition space.
Waste Footprint
- The proposed facility will process 160,000 tonnes of household waste each year. 94,000 will be delivered from Charlton Lane, Shepperton and Slyfield, Guildford refuse transfer stations and the remaining 66,000 tonnes will come directly in refuse collection vehicles from households in Runnymede, Spelthorne and Surrey Heath.
- Residues left over from the EfW process (up to 30%), such as ash will be taken away to be recycled or landfilled.
Operations
- The incinerator is likely to operate on a 24/7 basis, and as it would be directly to the South-West of us, we could find that we experience serious pollution problems spread all over the village by the prevailing wind. There may also be noise and odour issues.
- Any Waste Management activity is likely to involve a lot of lorry traffic to and from the site. This is a particular concern given that we are already experiencing much heavier traffic on our local minor roads, and this is apparently going to get worse still.
Further reading
Summary document of proposals here.
As you consider your opinion you may wish to consider new research which suggests that incinerator plants could damage fertility of children see here.
Research indicates that the value of your property is affected by proximity to an incinerator plant - click here to download the report in PDF format (see paragraph 3.23 Figure 3.1).
What are the alternatives
Building an incinerator is the easy option for those responsible for getting rid of the waste - in fact it is the lazy option. There are alternatives but they just take too much effort to implement.
GAIN, (the Guildford Anti-Incinerator Network), was formed by residents in September 2000 as the result of an application to build a 225,000 tonne plant at Slyfield. Details of their campaign can be found at this web site: www.no-incinerator.org.uk.
UKWIN (UK WITHOUT INCINERATION NETWORK) is an independent organisation representing a network of groups opposing the expansion of waste incineration in the UK - their website - www.ukwin.org.uk contains significant research into the health issues and alternative.
Support for the campaign
The choice is yours - you can let Surrey County Council pollute our environment against all the rules or your can choose the alternative means to get rid of the waste because it has to go somewhere!!
Please register your support here and to be kept informed of the next critical actions.
The campaign needs money to mount a legal battle - please pledge what you can - the pledge form is available here in Word Format.
Tell your friends and neighbors.
Please check this site regularly and register for updates, fundraising and volunteering efforts, and future meeting dates.
Copyright of all external material used on this site acknowledged.
