Tag Archives: Say No to Green Lane Incinerator

Request Denied: There Will Be No Council Presentation

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Thank you to everyone who mailed the Council requesting that we be given an opportunity to present our information, in light of the fact Sky Properties were given the same opportunity some weeks ago.

Unfortunately, we have received our answer and that answer is “No”.  In short, objectors to an application are not given the opportunity to provide a briefing to the Council, prior to the day of the formal Panel meeting where the application will finally be decided. Two 5 minute slots are given to the public at the formal meeting for objectors to make their case.

As you can imagine, having such short timeslots and also not being able to present until the actual decision meeting puts us at a disadvantage. This makes the playing field less than level. You might say the playing field is more like a steep slope, one that we’re going to have to start at the bottom and climb our way up.

Either way, as unfair as this may seem, that is where we are and we are going to have to work twice as hard to get to the top of that slope.  Our next opportunity to show our strength of feeling will be at the Panel meeting it self.  It is crucially important that we get as many people to attend that meeting as possible.  We will be demonstrating outside the civic centre in Swinton on the day of the meeting, so get your voices, placards and other gear in order and ready for use.

We have been waiting for the formal Panel meeting for almost 6 months now, each month, it seems to get pushed back another month, so co-ordinating our response has been on hold.  We will get around 10 days notice of the final date for the meeting, but until then we’ll be posting up possible dates.  Please try to keep checking in on dates, and also think about booking them (tentatively) off work if you can.

The current possible dates are as follows:

March 24th – Not likely

April 7th – Probable

Further actions will be posted soon, please keep checking back here, all asssitance is welcomed and appreciated.

Today I received a letter from Sky

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Today, I personally received a letter from Anthony Hirsch at Sky Properties.

They were not very happy about my last post on the study related to links between birth defects and incinerators.  They went on to question the recency of the research and have requested that I clarify some information regarding the time periods involved in the study.

My question to you Mr. Hirsch is, why do you care? For 15 months, you have point blank refused to acknowledge that what you are proposing is an incinerator. So, why should you care about the “incinerator” study at all?

I’m sure the visitors to this site are intelligent enough to make up their own minds and to assess any information themselves, but in the interest of open co-operation, we can offer you a compromise.

Admit publicly that you are proposing an “incinerator”, apologise to the residents of Salford for ever claiming it was anything other than an incinerator and I’ll make the clairifications requested.  Sounds like a deal?

It's not an incinerator

 

 

Mixed Messages From Sky Representatives On Consultation – Legally Required or Not?

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Those who attended the meeting at Monton House Hotel, on 25th January 2010, may remember some of the responses from Sky Properties, when questioned regarding the purpose of the Green Lane Eco Park consultation activities.

It was in fact put to Sky and their representatives, including John Twitchen (Managing Director of Sauce Consultancy) who was chairing the meeting, that their only motivation for carrying out the consultation was because they were legally required to do so as part of the planning process.  The response to this was clear. They claimed that they were not legally required to do so and claimed that the consultation was soley for the benefit of the community.

Throughout, It has been the view of the local community, that Sky have only attempted to do the minimum that they believe they are legally required to do, in order to ensure they comply with the relevant planning policy and legislation.  There is no true motivation to consult the public and the overwhelming opposition to the proposal has been completely ignored.  We clearly stated this in a campaign update posted in May 2010.  In a subsequent letter from Anthony Hirsch (dated 10th June 2010), while referring to the consultation activities he again re-iterates..

“We are not legally obliged to do this, to correct another incorrect statement on the residents’ group’s website”

In both January and June, Sky’s message has been clear and consistent.. their consultation activities are not a legal requirement. 

What is confusing, is that a few weeks after the January meeting in early February, this video interview of John Twitchen, was published on waste industry website, www.mrw.co.uk:

In this video, John is asked “How important is consultation as part of the planning process?”.

He answers, “It’s critical and it’s a legal requirement, you have to do certain things as part of your planning application”. He continues, “It’s about many, many different things, but you have to come back to the legal requirement and particularly in new legislation coming through, the national policy statements for example, so  if you’re proposing a renewable energy facility over 50 MW, then you’ll have to do quite a lot of consultation before you put your application in”.

Can we conclude that what Mr. Twitchen is saying in this video is actually true?. If so, the consultation is in fact a legal requirement and, as we have maintained but contrary to what Sky have been claiming.  The only reason Sky has done anything at all, is to try to get the legal ticks in the boxes they require to steamroll through their proposal.

A wise man once said that the deeper you dig, the more dirt you find.

We urge the Council, to examine carefully the claims Sky make in their application regarding consultation.  The community know what’s being proposed, the real impact and the disastrous consequences for Salford and Eccles. We will not have the wool pulled over our eyes.

Salford: Another Day, Another Recycling Centre Catches Fire

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Recycling facilities continue to prove to be fire hazards as crews from three different areas are drafted in to battle the blaze over night.

The site located on Cobden St, Salford caught fire sometime yesterday, the cause is unknown, but the blaze is known to  have centred around a large pile of timber and rubbish. 

Further details can be found here:

Recycling Centre Fire

Would it be sensible to put one of these 50m from a Children’s Park and home? The Sky application must be opposed.

Green Lane Property Owner Plans Waterside Regeneration – Support, Support, Support

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The owner of the Business and  Technology Centre on Green Lane is submitting plans to regenerate their property in line with the Bridgewater Master Plan initiative.  The property is opposite to the Sky Properties site, and such a plan can only be positive for the community and provides more weight to the argument against the nightmare incinerator.

The proposal includes a mix of residential housing and light commercial plans.  The development could bring many benefits to the local community including:

  • a mix of family housing
  • clean commercial uses
  • children’s play area
  • a new pedestrian foot bridge
  • a new Canal side walkway (at present private property consisting of derelict employment lands fronts the canal)
  • improved public realm along the canal and green lane – making stronger linkages between Monton and Liverpool Road
  • improved natural surveillance for the Canal and Green Lane – making new and existing spaces safer for all
  • improved sight lines and natural surveillance to Green Lane

 

Waterside Regeneration - Click to Enlarge

Owner of the property, Peta Williams of Castletown Investments Ltd, has supported the Say No campaign for many months and now is our opportunity to do the same.  It’s time to “Say Yes” to the Green Lane Waterside Regeneration Plan.  The plan is well thought out, will bring inward investment and improve the immediate and surrounding areas.  In order to do this, we request that all supporters and members write to the Council in support of this proposal.   The site is already designated as a “swing site” by the Council. This means that it’s being assessed for possible re-zoning from purely employment. Let’s give our support in favour of re-zoning. What are we requesting?

We are requesting that:

  • This site be included in the the Bridgewater Masterplan Regeneration Project.
  • Site use is re-allocated for both residential as well as employment uses, under the Salford West Study and Bridgewater Masterplan. 

Who to contact – email:

paul.walker@salford.gov.uk

 dave.evans@salford.gov.uk

councillor.antrobus@salford.gov.uk

 councillor.merry@salford.gov.uk

 councillor.lancaster@salford.gov.uk

 Or write to:

Paul Walker
Strategic Director Sustainable Regeneration
Salford City Council
Salford Civic Centre
Chorley Road
Swinton
Salford
M27 5BY

and

Dave Evans
Spatial Planning
Salford City Council
Salford Civic Centre
Chorley Road
Swinton
Salford
M27 5BY

and

Councillor Antrobus
Salford City Council
Salford Civic Centre
Chorley Road
Swinton
Salford
M27 5BY

Businesses Snub Opportunity to Hear More “Rubbish” from Sky Properties

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A meeting was planned this evening for the Monton House Hotel. Sky Properties were to be given the opportunity to pour honey into the ears of local business owners regarding the benefits that the “Eco Dump” would bring to their businesses.

It appears that businesses have already made their mind up and realise that what is bad for the community is bad for business.  The meeting has been cancelled due to “lack of interest”.

Sky Properties continue their attempts to dupe the public, local businesses and the Council into accepting their misleading information and inaccurate facts.

You can read more here at Salford Online:

http://www.salfordonline.com/localnews_page/23295-green_lane_eco_park_development_meeting_cancelled.html

It appears the only people who think this is a good idea are Sky, their cronies and their “you scratch my back” buddies.  Everyone else understands that it’s bad for business, bad for people and bad for Salford.

WE ARE MARCHING!!! Saturday 18th Sept 2010 – Midday

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If there is an event you turn up to this year, make it this one. It has been a long haul to get to where we are today, and everything has culminated to this show of opposition.

Please turn up at the car park adjacent to the roundabout at the top of Canal Bank at 12:00 (midday) on Saturday September18th 2010. We will be marching with Wheeley Bins, in convoy, down to the site and back again.

What you wil need:
* Most importantly You!
* Friends and Family
* A Wheeley Bin for Each Adult (A colour of your choice). It should be clean and empty. This is not mandatory, but bring one if you can.

Optional:
* A Say No Logo Taped to the front of the Bin
* A Gas Mask (Available from Fancy Dress Shops)
* Placards.

If you will be attending this event, please RSVP. We are in contact with the local police and unless we can provide approximate numbers, we will not be able to protest. If there are friends and family attending who aren’t on facebook, please get them to confirm there attendance with an email to: info@greenlaneecodump.org

Spread the word. This is our chance to be heard. This is the big one.

Toddler Injured By Refuse Collection Vehicle (RCV) in Oldham

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Last Friday (August 27th 2010) a toddler was injured by a Viridor RCV.

“Police were called to an incident shortly after 1pm at Huddersfield Road in Denshaw, at its junction with Rippendon Road, following reports of a collision.

The vehicle, according to the police report, collided with two year-old Thomas Wilshaw, who was in his pram. The boy suffered head injuries as a result and was taken to Oldham Royal Hospital before being transferred to Manchester Children’s Hospital.”

Adding 160 Heavy Duty RCVs to the roads surrounding Green Lane brings a significant risk to pedestrians in the area. We maintain that the roundabout at the top of Canal Bank is not suitable for HGVs to traverse, and that access to the site hinders safe movement of such vehicles.  There have been several accidents on Green Lane in this and subsequent years.

We gratefully request that Salford Council reject this proposal.. Do not put our children at risk.  Our hearts and  thoughts go out to the family of Thomas, we pray a full and speedy recovery.

MRF Recycling Plants Continue to Prove Hazardous As Fire Breaks Out In Bolton

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A Recycling Plant has caught fire in Horwich, Bolton.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11135547

It’s taken several hours for fire engines to take control of the fire, causing serious to disruption in the area.  This continues to consolidate Eccles Residents concerns regarding possible incidents from the proposed Sky MRF plant.  The Sky plant is proposed to be  50 metres from a children’s park and only the width of the motorway lies between the plant and local houses.

Earlier this year the HSE launched an initiative to help organisations improve the safety of MRF plants. There have been an unusually high amount of deaths surrounding these plants prompting the HSE’s action: http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=17555

The Sky proposal presents many risks to local business and residents, the only sensible response to the application is refusal

Objections, Objections and More Objections

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Today saw the deadline for objections to the Sky applications come and go.

We have had an enormous response to our requests for people to object.  We are still awaiting confirmation on the final numbers, but members of the campaign delivered a batch of around 250 objection letters to the Planning Department today, along with a group objection document.  We are also aware that there have been a significant amount of people who have personally sent their own objections in to the Council. The receptionist at the Council office  estimated that the number of objections already received was in the hundreds.

Detailed objections were also received from local businesses and Hazel Blears MP.  We would like to thank the shops on Monton Rd for assisting with the objections and also the campaign members who pounded the streets posting the letters and getting signatures.

So what next?  If you have missed the deadline or have only become aware of the applications in recent days. Please continue to send your objections in.  Do this online while still possible, or via email.  If those two routes fail, try taking your objection down to Emerson House in Eccles.  Objections may still be accepted if they are presented within a reasonable time-frame.  Keep those objections rolling in.  Watch this space for further news of next steps in the campaign.