Representation by Will Gilbert
- Date submitted
- 15 November 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Wisbech is a small town surrounded by small villages, a large arable farming community, large food factories and many small successful businesses on all the estates in Wisbech, not just Algores Way. The need for such a construction is questionable. Why is such a vast incinerator needed? I run a small business on Algores Way which is still very much in its infancy and strongly believe this incinerator will affect it to a point that it will either be forced to close or relocate. These two things are not an option for us, as we employ local residents & support local businesses. Another major concern is the road network. It’s not designed to cope with the current level of traffic, let alone the hundreds possible thousands of trips required to construct the incinerator and then a lifetime of 300+ vehicles a day to keep the incinerator going. Weasenham Lane has been closed many times for sink holes & water mains. The A47 for 8-9 months of the year is congested with coastal traffic, the only link from Peterborough to Norwich. The image 1 following shows the current traffic level as I write this letter. That’s before any work has even started. The A47 between Guyhirn and Wisbech also has a great responsibility to the local villages Guyhirn, Wisbech St Mary and the North Brink. The fact is when this stretch of road is closed, which it often is, the easiest route is Guyhirn, Wisbech St Mary, North Brink. When the survey (Which I believe was carried out in lock down) was carried out, how was this addressed? Was the route that the HGVs would take determined? March isn’t an option; the roads are very uneven and also go through small villages. Then there’s Welney, the wash, that floods during winter months, has a mass of wildlife as well as The Welney Wetland Centre, a charity that protects the wetland & wildlife. Another option you have is the A47 from Kings Lynn, again coastal traffic but again the road network cannot cope with the current traffic as shown in image 2. The last option is the A1101 which the route is over the only bridge in Wisbech that HGVs can use, which goes straight through the middle of Wisbech town and again, not designed to carry the level of traffic it takes now. Image 1 Image 2 Wisbech Gateway is a brand-new proposed retail park and leisure destination. This will offer Wisbech far greater benefits with new jobs, hotel & leisure. The Incinerator will back on to this new project and will most probably halt or even stop any further plans to carry out this new park, affecting the local opportunities and morale. Wisbech needs more jobs and leisure, not rubbish. Then there’s the eyesore of a 93m chimney, along with the building its self, dwarfing all other buildings, schools, factories and the largest UK refrigeration unit. However, above all my previous concerns, my biggest concern is the fumes from this incinerator, with the fumes affecting a 25 mile radius, how can this even be suggested let alone considered. In short, I cannot see one benefit to validate the construction of this Mega Incinerator.