Whitwell Incinerator proposals

[Miggy55 10]

Is anyone aware of the proposal by Alkane to open a so called "green incinerator" system in Whitwell? Apparently they have sneaked an application for planning permission to produce green waste (supplied by 100 lorries a day) under the radar. The meeting held at Whitwell community centre by reps of Alkane, who were expecting a bunch of numpties to turn up, were not prepared for the questions asked. They then proceeded to label protestors as scaremongers. You need to get organsied. If you do nothing don't complain later. This is an experiment that they want to try out on you.

[The PIT 10]

Is anyone aware of the proposal by Alkane to open a so called "green incinerator" system in Whitwell? Apparently they have sneaked an application for planning permission to produce green waste (supplied by 100 lorries a day) under the radar. The meeting held at Whitwell community centre by reps of Alkane, who were expecting a bunch of numpties to turn up, were not prepared for the questions asked. They then proceeded to label protestors as scaremongers. You need to get organsied. If you do nothing don't complain later. This is an experiment that they want to try out on you.

 

Well if you stop creating rubbish they wouldn't need to build one would they. Another nimby.

[HeadingNorth 11]

Perhaps they were scaremongers, if they were gibbering about "experiments" and other rubbish of that ilk.

[cymbaline 10]

It is possible to make energy by composting green waste instead of burning it. Where can we find out more about the plans?

[cainedkaty 10]

It is an anaerobic digester that they are proposing to build on the area where they currently have a methane works thing that takes the methane out of the old coal mines. They will be bringing slurry and a load of other stuff to create gas. It is the first of it's kind that Alkane will have and there aren't that many of these things around.

 

The plans are on derbyshire county council's website somewhere.

[cymbaline 10]

Thats the sort that uses compost to make electricity. Surely this is better than burning fosil fuels and better than the Sheffield incinerator?

[cainedkaty 10]

not if you live near it, the smell will be horrendous and lorries already take short cuts through the village so the promise that they will go in through the other end is an empty one. If they have 5 minutes to do what should take 15 minutes then they will cut through the village.

[toploader 10]

not if you live near it, the smell will be horrendous and lorries already take short cuts through the village so the promise that they will go in through the other end is an empty one. If they have 5 minutes to do what should take 15 minutes then they will cut through the village.

 

Aren't overheight lorries actually diverted through Whitwell, to avoid the low bridge on the A619 at Steetley?

[cainedkaty 10]

There is a weight restriction for some of the roads which many ignore and just go down any of the roads they please. The roads that bring you out of the village bring you out on the A60 which joins the A619 further down which is why they choose to go down whichever roads they please.

 

On the road where it is proposed, just before it is a little bridge that has a weight restriction, this is also ignored and lorries just go over anyway regardless, this is a few hundred metres from the school.

 

There was a parish council meeting a few weeks before the Alkane meeting where some of the residents went to voice their opinions on the matter. At that meeting the parish council said there were concerns about the lorries that already come through the village breaking the weight restrictions but it's an issue for the county council. The parish council also have quite a few concerns about the plans but don't have the say on whether the planning permission is granted.

 

As for the bit about the plans being sneaked in under the radar that is true, the council was aware of these plans for a good 6 months and kept it very quiet. It is only when someone said that they might have to let people know of the plans that Alkane stuffed a couple of flyers through a few doors, when I say a few I really do mean a few, 99% of the village still knew nothing about it after the flyers. A very small display was put in the community centre about it, just behind the doors so it was very easy to miss and from looking at the display it wasn't clear what was happening or what it actually was.

 

There was a promise of it creating jobs for the community if built too but then they have actually owned up and said it will only create 3-5 jobs and not for the locals because the jobs will be for people who are already trained to do this sort of thing.

[HJL_Shef 10]

I used to work in waste permitting and have permitted similar anaerobic digestion facilities in Manchester. I notice you are worried about principally smell and noise. The odour limits will be thoroughly modelled and checked by the EA, and they are very strict. There will be no 'open unloading' I should imagine, a scrubber in the chimney, and a high chimney stack with odour monitoring apparatus within it. The doors to the facility will be self-closing and the building will likely be under negative pressure so that internal air does not escape. The internal air will likely be cleaned using the scrubber system also and recirculated. The lack of open unloading will also prevent some noise. A comprehensive noise monitoring plan will have to be sumitted and adhered to, which will be checked by the EA or local authority at least bianually I should imagine. The traffic is obviously a slight concern, but one that will have to be accounted for when applying for the permit. The council will likely stipulate a strict daytime traffic flow, and put a limit on the number of lorries per day. As has been mentioned, there is already heavy traffic travelling within the area anyway.

 

I can understand your concerns, especially if Alkane were not forthcoming with information. In Manchester, there was similar concern, due to a lack of information provided by the company to the residents, partly because of the new technology in operation. However, the facilities I helped to permit have been operational for a couple of years now and the feedback has been largely positive. The actual process of anaerobic digestion is a great procedure and one we need to embrace. Extra bonuses such as residual heat being used to heat the building and aid combustion make this process even more environmentally sound.

 

I hope I have gone some way to placate your fears

[HeadingNorth 11]

I hope I have gone some way to placate your fears

 

 

I can guarantee you won't have. The only response you'll get will be "it should be built somewhere else."

 

People never object to things like this in principle; they just object to it being anywhere near where they personally live.

[cainedkaty 10]

I used to work in waste permitting and have permitted similar anaerobic digestion facilities in Manchester.

 

What was the product that came out of it after the digesting had been done?