A group of local residents has launched a campaign against the controversial Parley incinerator and a new incinerator proposal at Canford which they say are dangerous, polluting and unnecessary facilities to deal with household waste.
Stop Parley Incinerator Group says that although Parley Incinerator has been given planning permission by BCP council, the facility has yet to gain permission from the Environment Agency which means there is a further opportunity to stop the incinerator being built. [1]
They are urging BCP residents, including the more than 700 people who objected to the planning application, to sign a petition and write to their MP to register their opposition.[2][3]
Helen Nichols, a local resident from Parkstone said:
“I’m concerned that the local government can choose to inflict an incinerator on our community when local opinion is so strongly against it, and there is so little recourse. This is not democratic.
“We already have local air pollution levels above WHO guidelines – we don’t need toxic incinerator emissions and more waste trucks on the road.
“Where is the joined up thinking? There are too many incinerators being built. The Parley incinerator will threaten our health and damage our unique Dorset heathlands and all the wildlife they support.”
In December, BCP issued formal planning permission for the controversial scheme at Chapel Lane proposed by Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd. despite having received more than 700 objections. Permission for the facility was delayed for several months while Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government considered, and then declined, a request to take the decision out of the local authority’s hands.[4]
Now angry residents who feel that both the planners and Michael Gove have disregarded their concerns are gearing up for a campaign against the Parley incinerator.
Marcus Fidge, a teacher from Highcliffe said:
“As a teacher of primary children, I’m very concerned about the health impacts on my pupils. Our school will be affected by the plume and the children are at a vulnerable age. I understand the particulates released can contribute to respiratory conditions such as asthma.”
Burning waste releases a range of toxic gases, heavy metals, and particles into the air. These emissions contribute to childhood asthma and dementia, increase rates of hospital admission and death. [5]
Monitoring around existing incinerators has shown the build up of dangerous amounts of dioxins and persistent organic chemicals in vegetation and chicken eggs. These pollutants increase cancer rates, damage the immune system, and decrease fertility. Even state-of-the-art incinerators give off potentially dangerous amounts of dioxins.[6][7]
Although energy from waste is marketed as low carbon, incinerators typically emit more carbon dioxide per unit of electricity than coal fired power stations. Every tonne of household waste burned contributes around a tonne of carbon dioxide.[7]
BCP Ward Councillor Margaret Phipps said:
“I was aghast when BCP Planning Committee granted the Parley incinerator application in the face of so much opposition from across a widespread area. I am concerned that toxic emissions from the incinerator will damage our health and endanger local wildlife.
I would encourage everyone to write to their MP to register their opposition to the Parley incinerator. They can ensure that the environmental and health concerns of local residents are taken into account by the Environment Agency.”
Adjacent to the site in Parley is a Dorset heathlands special protection area, home to nightjars, dartford warblers, wood larks, hen harriers and merlins. If this project goes through, the increased local emissions and pollution for over 25 years will threaten that habitat.
Local residents are also concerned that meeting the Government’s new legally binding target to halve black bin bag waste per person by 2042, could leave BCP with a significant shortfall in waste to supply the new incinerator. This could mean council taxpayers end up footing the bill to truck in waste from outside the area.[8]
[1] Stop Parley Incinerator https://www.facebook.com/groups/583783136912818
[2] Find your MP : https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/
[3] Sign the petition : https://chng.it/rbS2q6yLm7
[4] https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19996223.hurn-waste-incinerator-plan-should-blocked/
[5] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30059-2/fulltext
[6] https://zerowasteeurope.eu/press-release/new-zwe-biomonitoring-report-alerts-of-a-high-level-of-dioxins-around-3-european-incinerators/
[7] https://www.energyjustice.net/incineration/worsethancoal
[8] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-12-16/hlws449
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