Dear Supporter
The formal Appeal process has begun, and it’s crucial for your voice to be heard. The process may overlook many of the previous objections, so it’s essential to act now.
To ensure that your concerns are considered, you need to write to Planning Inspector Paul Griffiths before Tuesday 10th October 2023. Your personal input is vital to uphold the Planning Refusal and prevent Powerfuel from overturning the democratic decision using their proposed “planning balance” benefits. We’ve come a long way, and your views should not be ignored. We strongly encourage you to either write new comments or refresh your previous ones. There’s a lot more information available now compared to when we started after the public meeting in December 2019!
When you write to Paul Griffiths, please convey the most critical message: This is the wrong place for an energy-from-waste incinerator.
You can take action right away by visiting https://acp.
To ensure your views are brought to the Inspector’s attention, please consider attending the first day of the Inquiry. The event date will be confirmed later, but tentatively mark Tuesday, December 5th, on your calendar for a venue on Portland.
Our team is homing in on our Case, getting experts to check and prepare as witnesses. We are sourcing the right advocate to present at the Inquiry including the most important role of cross questioning Powerfuel in person. It is a very busy time!
Powerfuel – too powerful? We are not Powerless!
Powerfuel have submitted an Appeal to the Planning Inspectorate following Dorset Council’s refusal to allow their application. In a 70-page document, they explain why the council’s decision should be overturned.
Dorset Council will send to each of the 3,341 individuals, who originally objected, a direct notification explaining how to respond.
Dorset Council will be sending all the existing planning representations to the Inspector collating those submitted by formal bodies and groups, leaving the ones from individuals in one big subsection. It is not expected that the inspector will read any of these unless directed to do so. This is why you need to write again direct to him.
Are you new to the issues?
Your views are equally important.
Dorset Council’s decision has three reasons of refusal:
The first relies on Dorset Waste Plan 2019 legislation that controls where waste can be managed. Planning has been refused because this location fails to comply with the necessary criteria and fails to demonstrate that it would provide sufficient advantages as a waste management facility over the allocated sites in the Plan.
Secondly, it has been refused as a result of its scale (massing and height) in the proposed location and would have a significant adverse effect on the quality of the landscape and views of the iconic landform shape of the Isle of Portland within the setting of the UNESCO Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site.
Finally, the proposed development would cause harm to a range of heritage assets, but the mitigation proposed is not considered sufficient to outweigh the cumulative harm that would occur to the individual heritage assets and group of heritage assets. (Click here for further details)
The Inspector is interested in all aspects of the planning reasons why this is the wrong place for a waste incinerator. These include how it will impact on your life at home, at work or how if it were built how it would change your experience of this area.
There are a wide variety of possible planning reasons:
Waste – Dorset waste is well managed, and this is the wrong place to manage waste. Proposing to bring 202,000 tonnes of RDF fuel from outside the area with the consequence of creating an arising 20% of that tonnage as toxic ash becoming a new problem for Dorset is not acceptable.
Traffic – additional 80 HGV lorries a day between 7am and 7pm on this single access road is unacceptable.
Fire and emergency services – waste incinerators are a high fire risk operation. This one is proposed with a large diameter above ground fuel pipe within 7m of the waste storage Hall. Why risk contaminated firefighting water to run into the sea when this proposal is not needed?
Shore power – the 15MW of power proposed is four times more carbon intensive than the rapidly decarbonising national grid. 15MW of power is what one single offshore wind turbine can produce. This is the wrong new power source for shipping.
Historic buildings and structures – this proposal will detract value from our numerous and important heritage assets.
Climate and Ecological Emergency – there is no need to increase the toxic load onto the conservation natural environment, land, sea and air.
Public Health – the immediate neighbourhood is an area of high deprivation with increased pre-existing health conditions and anxiety. No one should have to live or work that close to a waste incinerator or above the chimney.
Amenity – waste incinerators are extremely noisy and unlike the helicopters incinerators run all day and all night. The noise from this proposal will unacceptably change our soundscape. Controls for smell and vermin are not always effective, why take the risk?
Landscape and seascape – this proposal will be visible and intrusive and unacceptable in the setting of England’s only natural World Heritage Site. We enjoy experience of walking the existing footpaths at any time of day or night and this will be harmed by this proposal. The proposed new round the island footpath connection is going to present this facility in silhouette against the most wonderful location, where its unsuitable operation will irreparably damage the enjoyment of the walk due to the prospect of the continuous noise, the operational lighting and the likely odour, all will be to the detriment of our highly valued current enjoyment.
Economic Impact – we in Dorset have built our thriving economy on our Natural Assets which as so many businesses have explained will be harmed by this proposal. This is a valuable employment site which will generate jobs in the future given the right use. This is not a suitable use.
Democratic Decision – this proposal was fully considered and unanimously refused by our elected representatives. We do not agree with this being overturned by pressure from a mercantile proposal, pollution for profit, that there is no need for at all. There are other far more suitable solutions the applicant can adopt to resolve the need for shore power. We witness ever more cruise ships visiting the port already proving that shore power is not limiting that business at all.
This is the wrong solution in the wrong place.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Opposition to the incinerator needs to continue, not only to uphold the refusal reasons, but to explain to the Planning Inspector all other reasons why people objected so strongly.
ACT NOW
If you are able to, PLEASE DONATE NOW. We have a strong case against the incinerator but need to carefully engage legal representation, air quality consultants, ecology experts and other expertise to represent us at the Public Inquiry. Our goal is £60,000.
Please do not delay. Connect with the Campaign for all the latest updates.
HOW TO DONATE
On-line Crowdfunder:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/spwii
Bank Transfer: email stoppwi@gmail.com or phone for details
Cash: Please call SPWI on 07899 033242
FOR MORE DETAILS, INFORMATION & UPDATES
*Visit www.stopportlandwasteincinerator.co.uk
*Subscribe for email updates: stoppwi@gmail.com
*Visit Stop Portland Waste Incinerator Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/stopportlandwasteincinerator)
*email debbie.theportlandassociation@gmail.com
*Join The Portland Association’s Facebook Group called “Jurassic Coast Against Incineration” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/420032455599716)
