Representation by Holly Jayne Jefferis
- Date submitted
- 15 November 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
A lot has already been said and documented regarding this project, but our voices as individuals and businesses still seem to be ignored. The Fens is known for its flat land and scenic views – yet you want to destroy that image by building something that will have chimney’s higher than the Ely Cathedral! The pure size of the building will have a visual impact on the surrounding area and in turn have an impact on our town’s economy. The housing industry is already struggling and with the cost of living crisis, is only set to get worse. Reducing the value of people’s homes, is only going to add fuel to the fire. The project is likely to make people want to sell up and move away, but with both the natural crash in housing prices right now and this proposed project, it is unlikely that anyone will want to move into our fenland area. This will have a knock on effect to our local councils and social housing which we already do not have enough of. The pollution that will be generated is not something ANY town should be subjected to. This project, quite simply, should be built offshore where it cannot have an effect on current and future generations. We campaign to “save the world” regarding being greener, being more aware of global warming, protecting the animals, and yet somehow, we are trying to justify that an incineration project such as this, is safe for us all to be around. Building structures such as these goes against the importance of addressing climate change in the very first place. The roads in Wisbech, as a whole, are very poorly maintained. They already cannot cope with the traffic. Travelling anywhere through the town or around the outskirts of the town at certain times in the day is often gridlocked. The smallest of changes creates havoc in the town. The proposed increase in transport for this new incinerator will make a congestion problem even worse. The A47 is considered to be the spine of Norfolk and all it takes is just one issue to unfold for mayhem to disrupt everything and the town to be gridlocked. There have been a lot of major improvements for the A47 in other areas, such as Norwich and Peterborough, but nothing so far has been implemented as a proposed change for Wisbech and this major through road. In 2014 the government established the road investment strategy and identified the East of England was an area that needed major investments. Within this area 17 major road schemes were put into place and 6 of those schemes are solely for the A47. This alone highlights the already noted congestion problems with the A47 and none of the above scheme’s factor Wisbech into them. The resulted delays highlighted the concerns regarding safety for all road users. It should also be noted that in the entirety of the Fens there is only ½ a mile of dual carriage way – the rest is all single carriage ways and small country lanes, none of which would cope with the incinerator project.