WESTBURY’S action group against the plans for a gasification plant, and now latest plants for a waste burning plant, say “We all say NO!
Dan Gmaj from WGAG/ No Incinerator for Westbury group, which has around 1,490 members said, “Over a thousand objections are in the system including all neighbouring town and parish councils that object to the Hills / NRE Proposal!
“Although it was good to see both ITV and BBC cover the proposed incinerator plans and objections to it, it was only too clear to me listening that the united community message based upon unequivocal ‘material considerations’ and passionate feeling too, was not being shouted loudly enough, so I thought I would offer the following: “We all say NO!” Shall we say it a little louder?
“Our MP says no, and states in his objection that: “This will mean more lorries blighting a part of Westbury that is already an Air Quality Management Area” and that “It should be recognised that strategies higher up the waste hierarchy that would be far more useful in achieving the council’s target for carbon neutrality – reduce, reuse, recycle – threaten incinerator viability since they reduce feedstock.”
This comment on ‘perverse incentives’ as other MPs have correctly referred to it in the past, outlines the ludicrous proposition of our unitary council actively encouraging 25 years of commercial and domestic ‘waste combustion’ in our town over and above existing policy to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle!’ I would add that it is also for ‘private profit’ which surely means that we must look more closely at the long term connections between Hills Group and their new subsidiary, NRE, and those that are trusted with spending our tax contributions! Make up your own minds as to why such perverse business incentive exists too, especially as NRE claims that they will be purveyors of ‘renewable energy’ as their name spuriously suggests!
“Our community says no! Although the planning department was processing the record-breaking quantity of objections at a snail’s pace during the submission period, it is clear that over a thousand objections listing clear material considerations, as well as many heartfelt concerns have been submitted.
“The community power and unity of opposition to this ill-conceived proposal has been amazing! Posters are going up all over the town and I believe ‘Cards Plus’ in the high street still has some if you wish to show your opposition too.
“All neighbouring town and parish councils say No too! So far, five town and seven parish councils have already objected in unity with our town of Westbury. This unity is science and ecology based and should not be ignored
“It should also be noted that in consideration of all information now in the public domain, that Wiltshire Council look again at both previous permissions granted for (ATT) waste combustion in this location and reverse these decisions to establish a true and accurate ‘principle of development’ that reflects current thinking and helps to accurately shape future waste management policy in Wiltshire without incineration.
“We all recommend that Wiltshire Council’s Strategic Planning Committee refuse this application in accordance with their decision in June 2018 and I would reiterate that they should have no compunction in also reversing both previously approved applications for a combustion-based waste solution in the heart of our town!
“Incineration is wrong for the ‘world at large’ beyond 2020 and that means it is definitely wrong for the centre of our world of Westbury!
“Hear our words, we all say NO!”
