Update on Incinerator - March 2007

Examination in Public (EIP) of the Surrey Waste Plan

The main focus for CAG in February was the first two weeks of the Examination in Public at County Hall in Kingston. The EIP is conducted by a Planning Inspector, Mr Brian Sims.

These early stages of the EIP focused on the Basis and Core Strategy of the Surrey Waste Plan. CAG was well represented during the two weeks and there was additional anti-incinerator support from GAIN, The Campaign to Protect Rural England and Friends of the Earth. There were other contributors who made strong contributions on weaknesses in the Waste Plan.

The Inspector has to consider arguments, which find the plan unsound in full or in part. Some strong points have been made and it is clear that the Inspector has noted these, egg:

" Concern was expressed on the consultation process. The Inspector stated that an additional session on Sustainability Appraisal would be held during the course of the EIP.

" The Inspector suggested there was a predisposition to incineration in the plan and expressed concern that other innovative technologies for waste disposal appeared to be absent from the plan.

" He also expressed major concerns about presentation and completeness stating, " the public cannot comment when they cannot see".

" Concern was frequently expressed that the composition of different waste streams did not peel its way through the waste plan. Headway was made in arguing that priority be given to permitting facilities for recycling and composting ahead of recovery facilities, in effect helping to turn the plan from passive to active mode.

" Made headway in proposing that the fog around need and landfill capacity be lifted as a matter of urgency. The Inspector noted requests for the following information for the life of the Plan:

(i) updated forecasts of waste arisings,
(ii) updated projections of non-hazardous landfill capacity that can be expected to come on stream,
(iii) projections both of residual biodegradable waste going to landfill (taking account of the increasing separation that is planned to take place) and of non-biodegradable waste going to landfill
(iv) if, as expected, a surplus of landfill ensues options need to be proposed on how the capacity is to be filled. (It is now virtually certain that Surrey will not have a shortfall of landfill, therefore mass burn incineration can no longer be put forward as the only solution, as it once was.)

" Made headway on Green Belt. Strong arguments were made by Mole Valley District Council that sites currently in the green belt that have been identified as suitable for waste activity should be taken out of Green Belt. David Elvin QC claimed that, as written, the plan would be unsound as it would fail Planning Policy Statement 10 para 17 i.e. an abrogation of the requirement for the plan to lead in allocating sites (the same problem as in the 1997 waste plan, which was found to be unsound.)

Next Stages of the EIP

At the eleventh hour Surrey County Council proposed the removal of three sites from the Waste Plan. As a result an additional period of consultation is now in process until 30 March. Conduct of the EIP accordingly has been delayed and will now reconvene towards the end of May.

The site specific session for the Clockhouse site, which was previously scheduled for 27/28 March, has been rescheduled to 31 May /1 June. The Inspector has advised us that the proposal for an incinerator at Clockhouse gives rise to such exceptional circumstances that this session will take the form of a formal hearing, including cross-examination of witnesses, in the broad public interest.

The exceptional circumstances arise due to:

" The substantial planning history, including a High Court determination of a previous application;
" a very high level of continuing public interest;
" a range of potential issues of principle;
" a reduction of site choice for thermal processing consequent upon potential changes to the waste development DPD.

The next stages of the EIP are set out below. These dates remain subject to change once the consultation responses are received on the proposed removal of three sites:

Week 3: Waste Development DPD - Policy Matters

Tuesday 22 May : General; Enabling Waste Development; Monitoring

Wednesday 23 May: Processing excluding Thermal; Recycling, Storage, Transfer of Construction and Demolition Waste at Mineral Sites; Open Windrow Composting

Thursday 24 May: Civic Amenity Sites; Waste Water & Sewage Treatment Plants; Landfill and Landraising

Week 4: Waste Development DPD - Policy Matters (cont'd)

Wednesday 30 May: THERMAL TREATMENT SITES

Individual Sites

Thursday 31 May and Friday 1 June : CLOCKHOUSE BRICKWORKS, CAPEL

Week 5: Individual Sites (cont'd)

Tuesday 5 June: Heather Farm, Horsell

Wednesday 6 June: Wisley former airfield

Thursday 7 June: Charlton Lane, Shepperton; Copyhold Works, Redhill

Week 6: Individual Sites (cont'd)

Tuesday 26 June: Land at Earlswood Depot and Sewage Treatment Works, Redhill; Godstone Depot

Wednesday 27 June: Lyne Lane, Chertsey; Martyrs Lane, Woking

Thursday 28 June: Oak Leaf Farm, Horton Moor, Stanwell Moor

Week 7: Individual Sites (cont'd)

Tuesday 3 July: Reigate Road Quarry, Betchworth; Slyfield Industrial Estate: Land to the North East

Wednesday 4 July: Trumps Farm, Longcross; Weylands Treatment Works, Hersham

Waste Development Control DPD

Thursday 5 July: Safeguarding Sites; Planning Designations; General Considerations and Monitoring

Members of the public are able to attend the EIP but cannot speak, unless previously invited to do so. The important days for the village are 31 May and 1 June (dates subject to final confirmation) and we would urge as many people as possible to come. Our lawyers (who acted for us in our successful High Court Judicial Review), will be leading.

All the hearings will be held at County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston- upon- Thames.

What you can do

If you have been invited to respond to the proposed changes to the Waste Plan (i.e. the three sites that SCC wishes to remove) and you intend to respond please let CAG have a copy of your response (please send to Wickney Holt, Coles Lane, Capel, Surrey, RH5 5HU).

If you have not been sent the relevant Topic Paper 8 you can find it on the SCC website at the following address:

www.surreycc.gov.uk

and click as follows:

Your Environment
Waste and Recycling
Plans and Strategies for Waste
The Surrey Waste Plan

This will take you to narrative on Latest News and Current Consultations

Scroll down until you reach Topic Papers. Click and you will reach Surrey Waste Plan - Examinations. Scroll down to Topic Paper 08 and click to download the paper.

Responses must be in by Friday, 30 March.

We also need people to write to the Local Press. Please do this. The more voices from Capel that are heard the better.

In its 8 March edition the Dorking Advertiser published another benign article on incineration. Many of you will have seen this. The paper invited responses. It is not too late to respond! Please do so.

Funds

CAG needs to raise £39,000 to pay for the cost of lawyers and consultants for the EIP. So far we have done very well and have raised £33,000. Very many thanks to the individuals, organisations and councils who have contributed. But we need a further £6,000. So to those who have yet to give please contribute. Cheques should be made payable to Capel Action Group and sent to Wickney Holt, Coles Lane, Capel, Surrey, RH5 5HU.

Dino Adriano
Capel Action Group