Historic Victory for Campaigners
Last Thursday (10th November), Trafford Planning Committee unanimously rejected the controversial Barton Renewable Energy Plant. The Breathe Clean Air Group was thrilled with the fantastic result for the community, after our tireless efforts to build the case against the incinerator.
The Committee meeting was packed with local residents, local business owners, councillors and our MP, Kate Green, and many supporters stayed outside to await the result.
Presentations from Louise Burgess of the Breathe Clean Air Group and Emilia Hanna of Biofuelwatch highlighted many reasons to reject the plant. One particular concern was that the chimney height was too short to disperse pollutants effectively away from the residents (the reduced height was due to the restrictions placed by City Airport). This was one of the reasons that many councillors stated that this plant would be the wrong technology in the wrong location. The perception of health effects amongst local residents was also of great concern. It was also mentioned that this incinerator may lead to degeneration of the local area. Many cross-party Councillors from all corners of Trafford were able to voice their strong opposition to the plant too.
The whole community stood solidly together and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken action to make this happen. This is a historic victory for the people of Urmston and we are committed to the fight for as long as it takes!
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Where will future electricity come from if we do not build new power plants?
Hopefully non-polluting energy sources!
One potential solution…
Pyromex is only a year off being introduced to the UK and doesn’t produce any NOx, SOx, toxic ash, tars, dioxin or furans. It could handle waste wood. It also has a much better efficiency rate, recovering 95-97% of the entrained energy without any emissions vs about 25% recovery from incineration processes. With a biomass incinerator, we are talking about the release of some of the most carcinogenic emissions and others which have been associated with stillbirths, COPD and other serious health impacts – I’m sure you’ve read the journal articles too.
If someone suggested that incineration is the answer to you question, I would guess that they aren’t big-picture thinkers.
Well done on the success of your campaign to prevent the Biomass generator in Davyhulme. A brilliant victory!
Although grateful, I am feeling underwhelmed by the victory as I have to wonder if you have an even bigger campaign ahead. No, not the potential biomass appeal, but the current appalling state of the air in Davyhulme at the moment, as you have so well demonstrated in your reports.
27 per cent of CO2 emissions in the North West come from road transport, not to mention the almost daily gridlock on the M60 and traffic backing up onto local roads. Transport for Greater Manchester state that switching from car to public transport (buses, trains and trams as well as cycling and walking) can cut harmful CO2 emissions by 40%.
If we truly want to ‘Breath Clean Air’ in Davyhulme, we need to promote the take up of public transport as well as green initiatives like home insulation to cut energy dependency. If we don’t, then this campaign will be a hollow victory, the gains of which will be wiped out by even more pollution from other sources in the coming years.
I hope that the members of BCAG are not content with our current polluted atmosphere and the status quo? If not, what are you going to do about it, as if the campaign continues, I would like to play a role?
Don’t think that your campaign’s work is over – it has barely just begun!
The BCAG need to secure the death of BREP by tackling the possible Appeal before they do anything else. They are residents, most of them holding down full time jobs with families who are tirelessly campaigning against BREP in their own time. The Appeal will be challenging as Peel have more money than sense but it seems to me that BCAG have an abundance of sense and will wipe the floor with Peel. Especially if they send in those idiots that represented Peel on the night of 10th November – they will be laughed at and ridiculed (again). Again, BCAG will be doing the work for the Appeal but us residents NEED TO provide support and funds to secure our win.
The Breathe Clean Air Group are still fighting BREP, what we need now from the people of Davyhulme Urmston and Flixton is your support and donations to fight if there is going to be an appeal,
Geri BCAG.