Simon Bacon, spokesperson for Sinfin, Spondon and all Against Incineration (SSAIN) has sent out the following press release:

Pre election statements and claims on incineration by Derby Conservative Party Leader Cllr Harvey Jennings were proven to be hollow and worthless on 17th June 2010 when Cabinet Member for Waste, Cllr Chris Poulter, agreed to reach financial closure on a billion pound waste disposal contract between Derby City and Derbyshire County Council and Resource Recovery Solutions (RRS) – the parent companies of RRS are United Utilities and Interserve PFI holdings.

The controversial 25+ year project would see household waste from across Derby and Derbyshire burnt in an incineration process at a site on Sinfin Lane Derby and would also see RRS taking control of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) across Derby and Derbyshire.

The Sinfin Lane project was thrown out at planning, via a democratic process in December 2009 and is currently subject to a planning appeal by RRS.

According to Bacon:

This is a perverse twist, as the appeal costs are being funded by Derby City Council due to contractual agreements that tie the council to paying costs now, and to paying more costs later, should less than the agreed tonnage of waste be available due to falls in waste arisings and improvements in recycling and composting.

A Pre-Appeal Meeting recently held in Derby highlighted the weak case and witnesses the City Council propose to use in the appeal process. As both of the Council’s witnesses are connected to the same Council that has just agreed to reach financial closure on the waste contract SSAIN questions the City Council’s wish, drive and ability to fight this planning appeal which will take place in September 2010.

Pre election statements by Cllr Jennings suggested his Conservative group were against the funding of the RRS appeal and the construction of waste incineration plants in residential areas. Cllr Jennings’ Conservative Group have since entered power in Derby and have been quick to drive towards financial closure, highlighting the deception used in Derby in the local and general election in an attempt to win the votes of concerned Derby residents.

The ENERGOS technology proposed for the Sinfin Lane plant recently breached toxic dioxin levels by 8 times the legal waste incineration directive (WID) limits at the only ENERGOS UK plant on the Isle of Wight. This was only picked up at the plant when tests were carried out as ENERGOS plants do not use the constant dioxin monitoring technology which is now available. Such lack of monitoring has led to dioxin emissions into the environment of the Isle of Wight and there are fears that a similar threat would hang over the Derby facility were it ever to be built.

Putting the demon into demonstrator
ENERGOS have been quick to point out that their Isle of Wight plant is retrofitted into an old incineration plant. As this experimental “Frankenstein monster” of a plant gained DEFRA funding by being classed as new (“demonstrator”)technology, SSAIN is asking why ENERGOS would cut corners at their “showcase” UK demonstrator plant? Data from the Isle of Wight shows that the plant operated for just 119 days out of 242 due to shut downs.

A recent ENDS report examines the reasons why ENERGOS are struggling to gain backing from OFGEM regarding Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) making the proposal less appealing to potential financial backers of such unproven technology.

The contract to be signed by Derby City Council ties them into the following:

• Paying £25 million each from Derby City and Derbyshire County Councils toward the huge costs of the proposed incinerator’s construction
• Paying 90% of RRS’ planning appeal costs
• Paying 100% OF RRS’ Environmental Permit appeal costs
• Paying an undisclosed amount in compensation to RRS should their planning appeal fail

Bacon explains how on Thursday 17th June Derby City Council ignored public worry and concern, ignored the democratic process of planning and agreed to go forward towards financial closure:

The prospect of the supposed (but unproven) financial benefits of this contract to the council – dubious ROC payments and uncertain payments for the treatment of third party waste – have lured the council down the path to “burning damnation”. SSAIN and other local community organisations, including Derby and South Derbyshire Friends of the Earth, will help the people of Derby fight this unacceptable situation.

According to the local newspaper Lessons ‘need to be learned’ over waste deal controversy.

Conservatives in Derby, who are poised to sign a controversial waste deal committing the authority to potentially costly clauses, admit lessons need to be learned from the contract process. The leader of Derby City Council, Harvey Jennings, said the contract between Derbyshire County Council, the city council and Resource Recovery Solutions (RRS), to deal with Derbyshire’s waste for 27 years, is “ambiguous” in certain areas. And that could leave Derby City Council open to challenges and compensation payments.

Jennings attempted to shift the blame to the previous administration, telling reporters that:

If we had been in control we would have probably done things differently and may not have entered into a contract with the county and RRS.

UKWIN is a network of 110 campaigners and campaign groups from throughout the UK. Many of these will be represented at the AGM, where they will listen to guest speaker Alan Watson deliver a presentation tracing the history of the anti-incineration movement.

Alan Watson will deliver a presentation tracing the history of the anti-incineration movement

Mr Watson, Director of Public Interest Consultants, is a recognised expert on waste treatment and disposal, and a former a member of Environmental Protection Advisory Committee for the Environment Agency in Wales. He previously worked for the Department of the Environment and was the senior specialist on Industry and Pollution for Friends of the Earth.

Participants will also be treated to a presentation from waste statistician Keith Kondakor about current trends in waste reduction and how to use waste data to support anti-incineration campaigning.

UKWIN’s National Coordinator, Shlomo Dowen, will explain how his High Court victory means campaigners can use the Audit Commission Act to reveal the financial arrangements behind large waste contracts.

This year’s AGM will be hosted by the local Chesterfield, Derbyshire and Derby groups.

Julie Harrington of Chesterfield Against Incineration (CAI) explains:

The event is particularly timely as a decision by Derbyshire County Council on whether to refuse planning permission for an incinerator in Chesterfield is imminent.

The planning application from the Wales-based firm Cyclamax, for a hazardous, commercial waste incinerator on Dunston Road, Chesterfield has generated an over-whelming level of public opposition from both residents and businesses, with over 11,000 objections to date, as well as opposition from every parish, town, borough and district council in the area.

The event will be an opportunity for local waste campaign groups to compare notes with others from throughout the UK. UKWIN’s National Coordinator, Shlomo Dowen, is looking forward to the event.

Gatherings like this one are always uplifting for those involved. They combine the serious work of campaigning and the joy of being with like-minded people.

According to Friends of the Earth’s Keith Kondakor:

Incineration is a false solution. Using the Earth’s finite resources more efficiently and cost-effectively demands more reuse, recycling and composting. Burning valuable materials is economic madness. We have just started on a recycling revolution in the UK that is diverting waste from landfill more quickly, more safely and less expensively than these costly, wasteful and unloved incinerator projects.

CAI’s Julie Harrington adds:

UKWIN has been a very valuable source of information and a great source of support for the campaign group, providing access to well-researched data and evidence on a range of safer and greener alternatives to gasification/incineration; experts on incineration processes and their environmental impacts; and case studies from councils across the country that have already ruled out incineration as an option in their waste strategies.

We encourage anyone interested in the subject to attend the AGM and benefit from the vast amount of knowledge and experience that UKWIN has gathered on these controversial and potentially health-damaging technologies.

In exercise of his powers under Article 14 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995, the Secretary of State hereby directs your council not to grant planning permission for this application without special authorisation. This Direction is issued to give the Government Office a further period in which to consider the proposals.

In the event Planning Committee members voted to spare Sinfin residents the prospect of a waste incinerator, although this decision could be subject to an appeal.

According to a local campaigner who was there to witness the decision, the plans for an incinerator were proposed by United Utilities alias Resource Recovery Solutions and were rejected on grounds of significant harm to the environment and residential amenity and the increases in air pollution (effects on Air Quality Management Area), plus of course the good old visual impact and more…

Once Derby City Council has uploaded the webcam file, you will be able to see the meeting for yourself at http://clients.westminster-digital.co.uk/dcc/player.aspx?EventID=1604

The local newspaper is reporting Protesters jubilant as incinerator plan goes up in smoke:

Campaigners opposing a proposed waste treatment plant cheered as councillors, citing health and traffic reasons, rejected the plans. Resource Recovery Solutions had hoped to build the plant in Sinfin Lane, Sinfin, to deal with waste collected from across Derbyshire. Now those plans have taken a blow after the company was refused permission by Derby City Council’s planning committee last night…Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Council House in Corporation Street before last night’s meeting.

Simon Bacon, a member of Sinfin, Spondon Against Incineration (SSAIN), said:

We are delighted with the result which was exactly what we wanted and the best thing for the city of Derby.

Councillor Baggy Shanker, who asked for the Secretary of State’s intervention along with fellow Sinfin councillor Robin Turner and Derby South MP Margaret Beckett, said it was “a victory for democracy“.

In a scathing attack on the RRS application, planning committee member Philip Hickson said he believed the public would be exposed to danger if there was a leak or malfunction at the plant and that vehicles coming to and from the plant would cause traffic and pollution problems. He added: “There is likely to be a threat of serious or irreversible environmental damage.“

They signed the contract today ahead of the planning application hearing next Thursday in order to put pressure on wavering Cllrs to grant permission…

The local paper has an independent planning expert saying:

If the planning committee is seen to be fettered by the council’s decision to sign the contract then they would not be doing their job properly

There will be a vigil outside the Derby Council House, Corporation St on 17th December 5pm where they are to decide the application at 6pm – All welcome, wrap up warm – the River Derwent next to council house makes the whole area cold…

Further info on the 2 Facebook websites
Sinfin
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49232330898
Spondon
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=108669061470&ref=share

Objections to both burners can be viewed and added to, on the Derby.gov.uk site -
Sinfin planning
http://eplanning.derby.gov.uk/acolnet/planningpages02/acolnetcgi.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=87966
from residents, organisations and businesses, including nearby Sainsburys.
There is also an interesting one from the PCT.

Spondon planning
http://eplanning.derby.gov.uk/acolnet/planningpages02/acolnetcgi.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=88032
from residents, associations and Doctors. The Spondon plant will also be burning radio-active waste from the nearby RR civil reactor which tests the fuel rods for Trident which carries the nuclear weaponry, yet the developer claimed at the one presentation held as far away as possible from Spondon, that thepublci need not know this!! . The incinerator is to be situated in Zone 3A floodplain – the highest risk. Complaints have been made regarding the inadequate Flood Risk Assessment too. It never rains……………………

WORLD RENOWNED TOXICOLOGIST VISITS DERBY
Some good news is that the world-renowned toxicologist Professor Paul Connett is coming to talk to us here in Derby, in Chesterfield and Coventry in October, about incinerators and health.
In Derby, he will be at the FrIEnds Meeting House,
ST HELENS ST, DERBY, DE1 3GY at 7PM SUNDAY 4TH OCTOBER

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
More gatekeeping – In the Public Notice for viewing the permit applications for the burners, the Environment Agency got the address wrong (for where the permit Documents were available for public viewing for both incinerators) in breach of IPPC Guidance but we do not know when the permit application will be re-advertised. 12 pages of objections were sent in by Derby FoE

CITY COUNCIL
Complaints have been sent regarding the abysmal ‘public consultation’ and officer’s shenanigans regarding planning reports, so far. Charming that they should have been in talks with the incinerator developers for about 4 years, and the public have known for a few months. PLus questions and debates at various neighbourhood forums across th ecity, have been ignored, unanswered and held back from neighbourhood Board reports, and the developer has not held any PUBLIC presentations in the affected wards – Derwent, Osmaston and Spondon.

DERWENT WASTE TRANSFER SITE
For example, the related Derwent Waste Transfer Site – (this will take blackbin recyclable waste while the burner is being built, compact it some more, then send it to landfill) enclose details of the complaint -  some pretty startling untruths and the fact that no-one in Derwent ward knows that when it rains heavily or the nearby river floods, the main reception hall doors will be opened and black-bin waste – including recyclable waste as 100% 3-bin recycling collections are not yet rolled out across the city – will be allowed to flood out onto the streets and into nearby businesses, before being disgorged into the drains and river system. The Environment Agency has granted a 5year permit as they believe the river won’t flood before then (That is quite some  long-range forecasting they are relying on. Unfortunately, they have got this wrong on a few occasions before, so we are polishing up our wellies here)

The developer also claims in his Application Form Box 3 – to be moving waste
up the hierarchy, yet will only be compacting waste further and then sending
it to landfill in larger lorries, whilst the incinerator is to be built!!! The city council officers seem to think this is a form of recycling.

http://eplanning.derby.gov.uk/acolnet/DocumentsOnline/documents/28003_6.pdf

This is in breach of Government legislation Planning Policy Statement 10 in which recycling facilties are supposed to be provided for the community

The company will also be accepting hazardous commercial waste at the site, yet have not applied for a waste permit variation. Yet such waste is shown as being in the ‘Materials Out’ list sent by the Sinfin plant developer Resource Recovery Solutions – (an amalgam of companies including ENERGOS who were behind ENER-G, the disastrous Byker incinerator, Interserve and United Utilities – lists of the latter’s prosecutions for various polluting and contamination ‘incidents’ are on the local Derby FoE site) to a member of the public. This has also been kept quiet.

Local Planning officers are obstructive – the worst of it being that the City Council’s Waste Management Director came to one Neighbourhood Board meeting  in Sinfin and denied the existence of a clause in the Inter-Authority Agreement (sent  toDEFRA in the Outline Business case October 2008) and in which the two councils – city and county – agree not to meet targets in
any other way, except for ‘the Project’ – the incinerator.

This was held in Sinfin, NOT Osmaston, the closest affected ward – the whole Sinfin ward, including Osmaston has the worst health statistics in the City, above national averages) NB We are already meeting landfill allowance targets which are dropping, yet the burner plans rely on a foreacst increase in waste.

At this neighbourhood forum, officers promoted the development to the
public, though could not deny the implications for the Air Quality
Management Area in Sinfin – that there would be ‘significant effects’. The Waste Contracts Manager had to be corrected twice for not stating the word ‘bio-degradable’ regarding the only part of the waste we have to treat.  We already have composting facilties in place in Derby and the shires, which are dealing with this. Another one is being built in Water Swallows too.
Cabinet members were also ‘used’ at the top table, to further ‘show’ that the development was acceptable. At no time was the associated waste transfer site mentioned and the developer has been careful not to place much emphasis on it at presentations elsewhere in the city-

Then theres the 1.3 tonnes of CO2 produced for every tonne of waste burned …..I could go on

We have some great campaigners here, fighting these applications.
Many thanks also to the many hard-working people out there, in the network

The latest CLG- Community Liaison Group for the RRS Sinfin Lane plant. Meet at 5.45pm for a vigil outside the meeting to show our continued concerns about the proposed incineration plant.

Derby City Council have been planning a waste plant for the old tannery site for some time now. Several years ago residents successfully ousted the ‘brightstar’ idea but now the issue has rose again. Derby City Council now want to put an incinerator on this site on Sinfin lane (near the railway cottages – between Rolls Royce and Ten pin).

If they put this on this site traffic will increase (approx 200 lorries A DAY!) not only causing pollution and fumes but also increasing traffic jams around this area and the barracks!

As they are planning an incinerator, this means they will burn rubbish. This rubbish will be carted in from a large section of Derbyshire. This site and area is not suitable.

Please join this group to oppose this new incinerating plant. Sinfin and Osmaston is already a heavily industrialised and polluted area. Our health and that of our families is important.

While this groups primary aim is to stop the construction of a waste gasification plant in the Sinfin and Osmaston area the reasons behind this fight equally apply to any built up area of Derby and Derbyshire.

According to Defra:

WIDP has the role of supporting local authorities in delivering infrastructure to deal with residual waste. The Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme (WIDP) was established to support local authorities to accelerate investment in the large-scale infrastructure required to treat residual waste, without compromising efforts to minimise waste and increase recycling levels. WIDP works to ensure cost-effective and timely delivery of the major infrastructure required to bridge the shortfall in residual waste treatment capacity needed in order for England to meet its share of the UK’s Landfill Directive diversion targets.

WIDP brings together the resources and roles of Defra, Partnerships UK and 4ps in support of Authorities undertaking waste projects.

WIDP has also produced an Information note on Combined Heat and Power (CHP) (PDF 180 KB). This is based on proposal contained in the Renewables Obligation Banding Review, and the Renewable Energy Strategy.

Defra has also produced an FAQ briefing on waste PFI, and a report, database and map of potential energy users and CHP applications in each region where Round 4 waste PFI procurements are anticipated. Each regional study examined potential energy users and generators within an approximate 25 mile radius of the boundaries of each of the below counties/regions.

Reports on-line to date include:
Coventry and Derby
West of England and Dorset
South and West London
North London, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Hull and East Riding

For higher resolution versions of these maps please email WIDP.ProgrammeOffice@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Incineration, they argue, breaches UK Sustainability Objectives, as the harmful effects will impact negatively on future generations, adding to pollution and climate change.

Campaigners also presented Mrs Beckett her with an anti-incineration petition signed by over one thousand four hundred people – 650 of whom live in Sinfin.

A giant Valentines Day card will also be presented to Mrs Beckett, with a giant broken heart made from the recyclables which will be destroyed in the Sinfin incinerator, with the message ”Why break our recyclable heart and burn our future?”

This symbolises the Government’s lack of commitment to the UK Recycling Bill, UK Sustainability Objectives and climate change commitments.

Campaigners assert: There is NO SITE SUITABLE for an incinerator as they are not needed. Alternatives were presented to the City Council and Government over 7 years ago. Fortunately we still have time to set up more sustainable technologies for dealing with our waste.

In advance of this action, the Derby and South Derbyshire Friends of the Earth Co-ordinator has written to local papers with the following:

No-one has collected our papers, or food and garden waste and plastics since the snowfall. Is the city council trying to put people off recycling in order to be ready for their good friends the incinerator operators, to move in and destroy these instead, when people get fed up and throw everything in the black bin? If so, what will be the point of separating out our waste for sustainable recycling?

Already in Stockbrook ward residents have been told to throw their recyclable plastics in the black bin, as they have no blue or brown bin collections and recently their recycling banks were removed. If the incinerator were in operation, those items, including plastics,would be burned with the ensuing dioxin and nanoparticle pollution, not to mention the stink plus other pollutants, spread across the city. The nitrogen dioxide levels in the already designated Sinfin Air Quality Management Area, (AQMA) would also be breached.

People living in the vicinity of the AQMA – all along the inner ring road – are already breathing substandard air, in breach of UK Air Quality Standards.

Some 70 people turned up and a protester had to be removed from the public gallery (during the process of the Council deciding to approve the contract with United Utilities) when “the public were kicked out for that part as it was commercially confidential or some other such rubbish…”.
Dorothy explains:

…we’re off to ask questions next week at full Council about why the LATS allocations don’t match up with what the officers are telling councillors (and thus the public) and then off to see Mrs Beckett MP on Saturday 14th February (her surgery) with a giant Valentine’s Day card for her, with a big heart on the front made from recyclables – the heart will be broken to indicate the sad lack of commitment to the Recycling Bill and the waste hierarchy – All welcome – meet on Derby Council House steps at 10.30am or send us your message for the UK Government…