Dear Sir,
I write in response to Councillor Gerald Lee’s recent letter to the Newton News regarding the proposed Fornax hazardous waste incinerator on Heighington Lane.
Councillor Lee has circulated an account of a Fornax site visit to residents and local councillors in which residents’ concerns are described as ‘baseless’ and ‘speculation’. This is both disappointing and misleading.
The overwhelming majority of substantive information shared between residents during the Environmental Permit consultation was drawn from an independent peer review commissioned from a highly experienced and reputable air dispersion consultant. This professional, non biased assessment helped identify concerns and assess impact of harmful emissions. This review was shared with local MPs. Local MPs shared residents’ concerns and objected to the proposed incinerator.
By contrast, the ‘report’ Councillor Lee shared, was authored by Councillor Aniko Towers following a site visit with Fornax. In that account, Councillor Towers states that “recent months have seen a spread of false concerns and misinformation,” yet later writes: “I have little understanding of this industry or the intricacies,” and, when discussing emissions data, “There were a lot of comparison numbers flying around, I found it hard to keep track of them.”
It is difficult to understand how residents’ concerns can be dismissed as ‘false’ when the councillor openly acknowledges a lack of understanding. If the information was not properly understood, the visit could not meaningfully challenge the developer’s claims and amounts to little more than repeating assurances without evidence.
Councillor Lee has also stated that “it may well be a condition of the permit that emissions data is streamed directly to the Environment Agency. Residents were previously informed in writing by the Environment Agency that real time streaming, directly from site, was ruled out due to cyber security risks. Presenting this as a potential permit condition therefore appears speculative, which is ironic given the repeated criticism of residents for the same.”
In addition, Councillor Lee has stated that the developer has “agreed to share emissions data with the council,” yet no detail has been provided as to what data would be shared, how frequently, which council, or whether it would be independently verified. Again, vague assurances presented as safeguards.
Councillors are elected to represent their communities. The proposed incinerator is located near to nurseries, schools, homes and workplaces. Councillors repeating developer assurances and presenting them as fact falls well short of that responsibility.
Yours faithfully,
Concerned Resident.