Archive for the Cornwall Category
In a letter from the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), as part of the public inquiry into a proposed incinerator in Cornwall, SITA (”the appellant”) has been instructed to provide details of the assumptions that underpin SITA’s use of the WRATE modelling software, including relevant Carbon Balance Calculations.
The letter reads:
Regarding the recent requests for information and your responses, I have consulted the inspector who has advised that the key to understanding any modelling exercise is to know what assumptions have been made. It is important in this case for all parties to know what assumptions were built into the WRATE modelling exercise carried out by the appellant and this needs to be done well before the inquiry so that the evidence prepared by the parties can deal with this matter.
The inspector is of the view that the parties need to be as open as possible. Accordingly, the appellant is urged to release the Carbon Balance Calculations requested by Cornwall Transition Network.
If the assumptions touch on matters of commercial confidentiality, this could be dealt with by having the modelling exercise (and its assumptions) reviewed by independent consultants with knowledge of the WRATE process. The review would need to be into the use of the WRATE modelling exercise to this particular proposal not to the WRATE
model itself. The WRATE model is widely used and accepted. This appropriateness and acceptability of the WRATE model itself are not matters that are in dispute.
A public meeting is planned to inform all of the latest news regarding plans for an incinerator in Cornwall
Friday 25th September 2009
St Dennis Working Mens Club
Meeting starts at 7.00
Following the decision of SITA to appeal against the decision of Cornwall County Council to refuse their application for an incinerator, a meeting has been arranged to keep local people informed about recent events. The meeting will provide information about the appeal process and the work of the Council’s newly-formed Waste Panel.
People attending the meeting to speak and answer questions will include Cllr Julian German (Cabinet Member for the Environment, including Waste) and Tom Flanagan (Corporate Director for the Environment, Planning and Economy).
One and all are invited to attend
This meeting has been organised by Cornwall Councillors Dick Cole, Fred Greenslade and John Wood, in association with both St Dennis Against Incineration and St Dennis Parish Council.
Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) ban SITA Cornwall burner booklet
An article on Devon24 details a recent embarrassment for SITA UK after an Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) investigation into Sita’s waste incinerator advertising leaflet ruled that:
the leaflet must not appear again in its current form.
On the 8th of July the ASA adjudicated that a booklet distributed by the waste company SITA should be withdrawn on five counts.
Fifteen Separate issues were raised against the booklet and each in turn was investigated by the ASA. SITA challenged issues raised against the booklet, as well as attempting to argue that the material was not a form of advertising.
The ASA considered that the leaflet was advertising material and was therefore subject to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code.
After carefully analysing all of the issues raised, the ASA called for the leaflet to be withdrawn due to five issues, including:
- misleading photomontages
- unverifiable job creation claims
- understated lorry numbers
- the claim “The Health Protection Agency says that modern incinerators are safe” could not be substantiated
- unbelievable sustainability claims
These issues were considered by the ASA to be ‘untruthful’ on SITA’s part or ‘unsubstantiated’ by SITA.
Most significant of all was the ASA’s ruling against SITA’s claims that “modern incinerators are safe”. The ASA rulled that these claims could not be supported by evidence and as such were in breach of CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness).
From the ASA judgement:
1. the photomontages of the CERC within the leaflet gave a misleading impression of how the finished development would look against the surrounding landscape;
Upheld
The ASA noted the photomontages were intended to illustrate the architectural appearance of the building and, while they had been cropped and enlarged or reduced to suit the leaflet, they remained in proportion with their landscape setting and had not been distorted. We noted the comments from the planning consultants confirming that.
We noted text beneath two of the photomontages stated “(photomontage) view from Treviscoe” and “(photomontage) view from the Church of St. Denys, St. Dennis”. We understood that, in the latter image, the positioning of the CERC was incorrect. We considered that readers were likely to infer that, not only did the photomontages depict how the CERC would look architecturally, but also how it would appear within its surrounding environment. While we understood that the photomontages had not been distorted and remained in proportion with their landscape setting, we concluded that the leaflet could mislead by showing the CERC in an incorrect position.
On this point, the leaflet breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness).
9. the claim “We estimate that around 250 jobs will be created during the peak construction phase, and a further 48 full-time jobs, once the centre opens” was misleading, because he believed SITA could not verify that that number of jobs would be created;
Upheld
We noted the chart showing the number of people who were expected to be employed over the 31-month life of the construction project. We noted the peak construction phase was in month 20 and the chart showed almost 250 people were expected to be employed in that month. We noted for 18 months of the project, fewer than 100 people were expected to be employed.
We considered however that readers were likely to infer that the peak construction phase would last for more than one month. Therefore, while we noted SITA had made clear that the number of jobs that would be created during the construction phase were estimates, we considered that the claim “around 250 jobs will be created during the peak construction phase” could mislead by exaggeration because that number of jobs was estimated for only one month. We considered that the claim should have been qualified to make that clear.
In relation to the claim that 48 full-time jobs would be created, we noted SITA had based the claim on their experience of operating similar plants, which we considered was a reasonable basis for estimate. We noted the organisational chart submitted which confirmed that 48 were to be created and concluded that the leaflet was not misleading in this respect.
On this point, the leaflet breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness).
10. the claim “approximately 90 lorries (including some service deliveries) will visit the site every week day between 7am-6pm” was misleading, because he believed that the number of lorries visiting the site would be greater;
Upheld
We noted the leaflet was produced prior to the completion of the EIA but that independent consultants had carried out a Transport Assessment Summary in January 2008. We noted it included a table titled “Predicted Daily Trip Generation” and showed the trip type, the number of arrivals and departures of that type and the total. We noted HGV Waste (Import) arrivals and departures totalled 62 and HGV Waste (Export) arrivals and departures totalled 20. Five service deliveries were predicted per day. We were therefore satisfied that, at the time the leaflet was published, the claim “Approximately 90 lorries (including some service deliveries) will visit the site…” had been substantiated.
We nevertheless noted the revised figure suggested that 113 vehicles would visit the site each week, almost a third more than initially estimated. We noted the leaflet made clear that the figures were approximate but, as the EIA had not been completed when the leaflet was published, we considered that SITA should also have made clear that the figure was subject to change.
On this point, the leaflet breached CAP Code clause 7.1 (Truthfulness) but did not breach 3.1 (Substantiation).
13. the claim “The Health Protection Agency says that modern incinerators are safe” could not be substantiated; and
Upheld
We noted the claim appeared in a section of the leaflet headed “health impact assessment”. We considered that readers were therefore likely to infer from the claim “The Health Protection Agency says that modern incinerators are safe” that the HPA had studied the effects of emissions from incinerators on the health of people living nearby and concluded that they posed no threat to health.
We noted the HPA statement said “The Agency has considered studies examining adverse health effects around incinerators and is not aware of any consistent or convincing evidence of adverse health outcomes. However, it is accepted that the lack of evidence of adverse effects might be due to the limitations regarding the available data.” We noted the findings of the HIA reported that the HPA said incinerators were safe, however, we had not seen evidence that the HPA had made that claim. While we noted the HPA concluded that emissions from modern incinerators had little effect, we concluded that the claim “modern incinerators are safe” was too absolute, had not been substantiated and could mislead.
On this point, the leaflet breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness).
15. The ASA challenged whether the description of the project as “sustainable” in the claim “a sustainable solution for the management of Cornwall’s waste” was misleading.
Upheld
We noted the sustainability statement by the environmental consultants concluded that the CERC performed well in terms of four key elements of sustainability – the natural and cultural environment, climate change, energy and natural resources, economy and community.
We recognised that the term ’sustainable’ was used and understood in a variety of different ways and we noted SITA’s comment that the leaflet addressed not only recycling and energy recovery, but also other elements of sustainability such as traffic and transport and community and social effects. We considered, however that, in the context of a leaflet that talked primarily about recycling and energy recovery, consumers were likely to understand that the use of the term ’sustainable’ in the claim “a sustainable solution for the management of Cornwall’s waste” was defined primarily in environmental terms.
We understood the best practice guidance on environmental claims in Defra’s “Green Claims Code” stated that green claims should not “be vague or ambiguous … Claims should always avoid the vague use of terms such as ’sustainable’ …”. We understood that new guidance on the use of the terms sustainable and sustainability was under consideration by Defra but considered the “Green Claims Codes” remained the best guidance for advertisers. Whilst we acknowledged that the production of energy from waste could provide substantial environmental benefits we nonetheless considered that, in the light of Defras current recommendations, SITA had not clearly explained the basis of the claim, and it was therefore likely to be meaningless to consumers and could mislead.
On this point, the leaflet breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 49.1 (Environmental claims).
Action
The leaflet must not appear again in its current form.
The following news item has just been published by the Western Morning News:
EXCLUSIVE: Incinerator report switched
Monday, March 23, 2009, 10:00
A DRAFT report recommending the rejection of a giant waste incinerator for Cornwall has been replaced at the last minute, the Western Morning News can exclusively reveal.
A draft document leaked to the WMN concerning the proposed Energy Recovery Centre in St Dennis, which was written by Cornwall County Council planning officers for a meeting set for March 19, clearly states a recommendation to refuse the application.
Continue Reading “Police called in over Cornwall incinerator plan” »
About 150 people attended the public meeting held in Cornwall on Thursday 22nd January 2009. The meeting, Chaired by Restormel Council’s Environment Portfolio Holder Fred Greenslade, was held at the St Dennis Working Men’s Club. Continue Reading “EA praise for STIG, but questions remain…” »
Do you wish to support the anti-incineration groups in Cornwall?
As you may already know, there are plans to build an incinerator in St. Dennis in Cornwall.
Campaigners have been in touch with UKWIN, and have passed on the following message:
We want people to stand up and protect Cornwall and its beautiful countryside, we have until 14th March 2009 to get as many names as possible submitted to Number 10 Downing Street. Sign here.
I am sending this montage on to you all so as you can actually see just how ludicrous this idea of this huge incinerator in the centre of our Duchy actually is. The building itself is larger than our Truro cathedral, the chimney is double the height of the Cathedral’s highest tower, and fifty foot, or 16 metres across at the top of the chimney.
Montage
At a hundred and twenty meters or over four hundred feet high this incinerator will be seen, and felt clearly from every point in our Duchy, especially the hotels and schools in Newquay, Penzance, St Ives, Wadebridge, Launceston and Truro. It will clearly be seen from the A30, A39 and A38 coming into Cornwall, but what is far more important is that dioxins and PCBs PM2.5s will reach all these places and all the milk producing pristine farm land easily.
It takes between seven and ten years for an incinerator to contaminate a huge area around itself. The higher the chimney the further the contamination will travel, in the prevailing wind. This is a scientific fact.
Why? because PM2.5s are not tested for by the Environment Agency, and they only look for Dioxins at the top of the chimney around every six months or so.
The wind direction in Cornwall is South South West, and North North East equally. That means that the whole of the Duchy will be contaminated, and after around ten years all food production will be stopped by the Food standards agency. There is no other incinerator of this size on or near farm land anywhere in the UK. All such incinerators have been built in the poor areas of inner cities around the UK.
I hope that you are willing to publish this montage so as all the people in this Duchy (and beyond) can actually see what is happening in their name.
Yours with thanks.
Miss E Hawken MRSH chair CSWN
Cornwall Sustainable Waste Network
In addition to reading the updates (below) and visiting the various campaign group websites, you might also like to view the brief BBC Look East video clip on incineration and read the UKWIN coverage on Lets Recycle. I trust you all caught the BBC’s One O’Clock News on Thursday…UKWIN is about 1 minute and 35 seconds in…
Brief updates about current UK anti-incineration campaigns.
If your campaign news is not included, please contact the UKWIN Coordinator with your update! Continue Reading “Campaign round-up 27th September 2008″ »
A specially erected marquee on a St Dennis playing field in Cornwall was the site of an extraordinary event as some 1,000 people “vented their frustration over plans to build an incinerator on their doorstep”. According to the Western Morning News, the meeting, one of the biggest public meetings ever held in the county, gave rise to some “explosive gestures of support” as speaker after speaker called on Cornwall County Council to throw out the application, with “a quiet and sincere voice…one elderly woman summed up the feelings of many”. Reading a statement by St Dennis Primary School governor, Ginny Edwards, she pleaded on behalf of the children:
The spectre of this has been hanging over the people of St Dennis for a long time. The psychological toll it has taken has been huge and many people have grown depressed about the perceived health threats to their children.
For those of you able to get to Cornwall on the 17th September, Cornwall County Council will be hosting a public meeting in St. Dennis, at the Recreation Ground, Fore Street from 6:30 PM.
Tim Harwood, Assistant Director for Spatial Planning, has sent out letters inviting interested parties to attend:
Anyone who wishes to speak or to read from a pre-prepared statement at the meeting is requested to register their request to Stacey Mankee, telephone (01872) 322468, e-mail smankee1@cornwall.gov.uk no later than 4 PM on Monday 15th September. Please register any questions you may have at the same time to enable a fuller response to be given at the public meeting. It is intended that a time period for speaking will be set – 5 minutes per person and 10 minutes per organisation, although this may be reviewed at the Chair’s discretion if there is a high demand for speaking…
Further guidelines have also been issued, copies of which can be supplied by UKWIN upon request. Anyone who is interested can also be put in touch with local campaigners by contacting coordinator@ukwin.org.uk
