Representation by Michelle Knight
- Date submitted
- 15 November 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am registering to you to express my absolute distress at the proposal to build a mega incinerator in my small Georgian town of Wisbech and to log my objection. I was born in Wisbech and am the lead nurse for Palliative and Oncology Services in Fenland. My home will be approx 1 km from the proposed site. I was concerned and remain so at the visual impact the adjacent coldstore has provided to our small town. The proposed size of this incinerator will dwarf this and cleverly, the website visual impact photos use a panoramic view downplaying the impact this incinerator will have to our flat, Fenland landscape. Cambridgeshire has 16 areas ranked as 20% most deprived (multiple deprivation index), 12 of which are in Fenland. It has been demonstrated that incinerators are 3 times more likely to be situated in the most deprived areas of the UK. The social mobility index already shows a significant gap in skills and income within Fenland. The application to build an incinerator here is absolutely going to decimate our already struggling ability to recruit health professionals. I am already aware that our local GPs are struggling to recruit. I also have senior nursing positions I am struggling to fill. Whilst it has been suggested that the filters are superior in removing toxins from the emissions, for the incinerator to function optimally I understand it requires a continual feed of rubbish. I am therefore absolutely struggling to understand how this proposal can be considered when our road infrastructure cannot handle the proposed 300 + lorry movements a day. I live very close to a road that is regularly gridlocked with traffic avoiding the A47 following its regular closure. Despite the suggestion that an A47 closure will see lorries divert to the A17 and then back down the A47 via Kings Lynn, I am sure this will not happen. There have been multiple campaigns for dualling of the A47 for a reason. I have read the proposal and find it extremely interesting how little reference is made to the fact that is proposed to be built 1 km from the largest school in Wisbech. 1300 students will have to study in its shadows, being affected by the emissions and the effects of air quality with the increased congestion. My concerns have been further heightened with news of an explosion at an incinerator in Germany in 2021. I’m not sure any emergency could be handled by our 2 fire engines or our cottage hospital. The World Health Organisation has been extremely important for advice in dealing with the devastating COVID pandemic, which I have witnessed first-hand. Why then, would their advice re siting an incinerator in a prime area for crop agriculture and next to a town be ignored? " 3.3 Siting The location of an incinerator can significantly affect dispersion of the plume from the chimney, which in turn affects ambient concentrations, deposition and exposures to workers and the community. In addition to addressing the physical factors affecting dispersion, siting must also address issues of permissions/ownership, access, convenience etc. Best practices siting had the goal of finding a location for the incinerator that minimises potential risks to public health and the environment (EPA 1997). This can be achieved by: - Minimising the number of people potentially exposed e.g. * Areas near the incinerator should not be populated eg containing housing, athletic fields, markets or other areas where people congregate * Areas near the incinerators should not be used for agriculture purposes e.g. leafy crops, grasses or grains for animals WHO () accessed 01.08.2021 at [REDACTED] Our predominant agricultural industry will also cause an interesting element to rubbish transportation when the lorries are sitting behind numerous tractors! I run a Treatment Day Unit at the local cottage hospital in Wisbech and have spent 15 years building a service that offers outstanding care (CQC 2020) We provide treatment and support to patients who are living with life-limiting conditions and their carers. We currently see over 500 people (aged 18 and above) every year at the Centre, along with family members and carers. My garden transformation project, recently completed, has enabled our patients to sit in a calm and tranquil space whilst undergoing treatment. The unit will be in direct pathway of chimney emissions when the wind is following its prevalent south-westerly pathway and just over a mile in distance! I also manage a Hospice at Home service, where our team provides care and support for patients to die at home. We are regularly faced with travel disruption due to our rurality and inadequate transport infrastructure; this build and the increased lorry movements is only going to compound this.