Gloucester set for city centre incinerator?
A WASTE incinerator could be built in the centre of Gloucester, it was revealed last night.
Aggregate firm Allstone Ltd has put forward its site in the Barnwood Railway Triangle as a possible location for waste disposal.
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on site: Gloucester MP Parmjit Dhanda.
A leaked document seen by The Citizen reveals the firm, based in Myers Road, has offered its site to be included in Gloucestershire County Council's waste strategy.
The authority is in the process of drawing up the strategy to detail with how the county will deal with waste disposal in the future.
If the Allstone site is accepted, the land will be earmarked for a waste processor – which could include an incinerator.
The 13.5-acre site, part of the 47-acre Barnwood railway triangle, is just yards from houses.
According to a report prepared for Gloucester City Council, which has been obtained by The Citizen, waste planners would find it difficult to stop an incinerator being installed at the site.
The report states: "In principle, the waste planners would struggle to argue against an incinerator in an urban location due to the latest air quality requirements.
"There are several examples of incinerators operating in urban areas."
The report suggests encouraging Allstone to move to a new site to the north of the railway triangle, further from any houses, and with access from the main road network.
The current site would see deliveries access the site through residential streets.
The report concludes: "In summary, it seems very unlikely that we are going to be able to move Allstone out of the city, and may have to live with them for the foreseeable future in this locality."
Coun Jeremy Hilton (Lib Dem, Kingsholm) represents the area on Gloucestershire County Council.
He said: "If we are talking about a waste incinerator, I would be opposed to it whether it was here, or in Hempsted which is the other site that could be chosen."
He believed the county council had chosen Javelin Park outside Quedgeley for an incinerator, and was concerned if the same was planned for the Allstone site.
The county council has stressed no decision has been made on an incinerator at Javelin Park.
City MP Parmjit Dhanda also expressed concern over the proposals.
He said: "This will come as a nasty shock to residents of Barnwood, Kingsholm, Elmbridge, Barton and the city centre.
"The two councils should rule out incineration as an option and use alternative methods such as anaerobic digestion instead. The best thing councillors could do is scrap the idea of incineration here and now."
Gloucester City Council declined to comment on the story.
Mark Hawthorne, the county council cabinet member for planning, regeneration and communications, said: "The county council is responsible for planning permission for waste sites and mineral quarries in Gloucestershire.
"We are required to update our waste local plan which sets out where waste sites can be built.
"As part of that process last summer we asked all landowners to give us an indication if there were any sites they would like to be considered in future.
"This is a long process and formal applications and consultation won't be for some time.
"It is also totally separate from the county council's residual waste plans, which aims to cut waste going to landfill.
"There is nothing to stop landowners making any proposals that they want to – this does not, in any way, mean that they will get planning permission."
A spokesman for Allstone said: "We are looking at all different options at the moment for developing the site, some of which are waste related.
"But, due to the economic climate we have to remain flexible on what the final uses will be – just like any other business.
"We are always open to working with the council and local residents."
57 Comments
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by Joe K, Barton & Tredworth
Thursday, January 28 2010, 6:06PM
“Green guy BSc Hons, Gloucester, leaving aside for the moment that the incineration option has neither been ruled in nor ruled out, can you tell me what the incident of cancer is around the M5 motorway? Or for that matter, Barton Street, which has particularly bad traffic pollution problems? We hear about all these studies linking illness to a specific location, but we don't hear what health rates were like *before*. When has an incinerator ever been built miles away from a major road link?”
by Green guy BSc Hons, Gloucester
Tuesday, October 06 2009, 1:16PM
“After studying the effects of waste incinerators as part of my Environmental science degree regarding significant increases in cancers to residents within a 50 mile radius of an incinerator. Due mainly to dioxins, fluxans and heavy metals. Looking at the recent cases regarding Lancashire, Nottingham Sheffield , Crymlyn Burrows, and Newcastle. Considering the topogarphy of Gloucestershire ie a valley with limited air movement. Argueing the case that nothing is proven about the safety of new flues and the removal of these carcinogenic fly ash and airbourne particles. Just look at the facts across the world. Waste incinerators are proven to significantly increase cancer levels in residents within 50 miles radius of the flue. They also affect ecosystems which inturn affect food produce by transfering dioxins through the food chain. Are the people of Gloucestershire willing to take the chance that modern technology is cleaning these flues or do we risk a higher level of cancers in our area. These polutants have a significantly higher risk to children, so are we prepared to juggle with the future of our children, just to burn our neighbours waste. I DONT THINK SO”
by Joe K, Barton & Tredworth
Saturday, August 22 2009, 10:44AM
“People can now post again on Dhanda's site without pre-moderation. It's just that nobody wants to...”
by Joe K, Barton & Tredworth
Thursday, August 13 2009, 4:05PM
“Funny, I get criticism from anonymous people for my attitude about Parmjit Dhand, but my entirely inoffensive comment is now gone from his blog. Only there do contributors see their efforts go from visible to 'awaiting moderation'...”
by Gerard, Gloucester
Thursday, August 13 2009, 11:23AM
“People don't like to think how their waste gets disposed of. Perhaps this will make them think twice and put a new perspective on all the new shopping developments where they sell cheap disposable goods.”
by Susan hale, Quedgeley
Thursday, August 13 2009, 9:02AM
“Mr. Wingrove you have obviously been badly briefed by Cllr Waddington on this matter and using the same tact to turn people off the incinerator debate by blaming the Labour Government.
Wrong Mr. Wingrove- the landfill taxes that are being imposed on Local Authorities, to help the environment, originate from E/U guidance not the Labour Government.
Wrong Mr. Wingrove- Parmjit is not picking numbers out of the air in relation to residual waste tonnage. The Tory County Council stated up to 175'000 tons of waste within its advert to the industry.
Even recycling to the Tory's meagre figure of 60% by 2020 will mean will will not produce enough waste to feed an incinerator 24/7 until 2040.
Mr. Wingrove just for the record- white elephants do not make money. Even if you are taken in by Cllr. Waddington's reassurance the Council will not import waste over the term of an incinerator's 25 year contract, the fact is lack of waste=heavy fines for the Council and over time we will find 'the bonfire' will probably cost the tax payer more than sending our waste to landfill.”
by Joe K, Barton & Tredworth
Thursday, August 13 2009, 1:56AM
“' Great idea.... the roads will be clogged up with refuse lories from neighbouring counties delivering garbage' -
Alien Life UK, Here and There
Charge neighbouring counties a high enough toll for bringing their waste here, and either the congestion will be reduced, or we can afford to improve the roads in order to handle it.
Something else to consider is that when such a scheme as this waste plant is enacted, it confers benefits on the neighbourhood in the form of Section 106 money. Some of that gets used for directly relevant things, like making sure congestion doesn't happen (still think *some* toll should be charged), but it can also be used to improve or even create local amenities.
So the community that welcomes a waste plant while striving to ensure that the technology selected is not hazardous will be quids in.
And I always thought the Triangle should be turned into a park, but I know that the cost of cleaning up that former industrial site makes that impractical, especially at the moment.”
by Buffalo Bill, Poole
Wednesday, August 12 2009, 11:47PM
“The Triangle site must be reserved for a new main-line railway station complex. Put the incinerator plant on the waste site at Hempstead where it will be out of the way. The Triangle must be the gateway for the world into Gloucester. Don`t make the city centre more of a rubbish dump than it already is!”
by stu, planet earth
Wednesday, August 12 2009, 11:47PM
“great any chance of job”
by Alien Life UK, Here and There
Wednesday, August 12 2009, 10:39PM
“Great idea.... the roads will be clogged up with refuse lories from neighbouring counties delivering garbage.”