Representation by Councillor Alexandra Kemp (Borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk) (Councillor Alexandra Kemp (Borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk))
- Date submitted
- 10 October 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
As the County Councillor for Clenchwarton and King's Lynn South, I object to the facility as -: 1. The incinerator is not needed as there is an oversupply of incinerators in the East of England. 2. Glass, wood, paper, metals food and food containers can all be recycled. As new technologies come forward to replace or reuse plastics, the whole concept of incineration has become obsolete. The future for plastic is prevention or reuse. AGAINST THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY 3. Building new incinerators would deter recycling. Incineration is against the circular economy. BREACH OF PROXIMITY PRINCIPLE 4. The facility would be a breach of the proximity principle, as waste could be transported from up to 2 hours away onto rural roads. Waste could be transported from areas of high population like London to areas of the lowest population like the Fens. AGAINST NET ZERO 5. Incinerators produce at least a ton of carbon dioxide for every tonne of waste burnt, so the UK cannot meet its carbon reduction targets if it builds new incinerators. This facility would produce at least 500,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum. 5. I object on Health Grounds. HEALTH Incinerators are often built in areas of greater deprivation and the health effects of deprivation can mask the effects of the incinerators. Wisbech and Fen residents in West Norfolk downwind of Wisbech, are in the most 30% deprived residents in England. Residents in South and West Lynn, who I represent are among the 10% most deprived in England. There are poorer health outcomes. The All-Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution found cancer-causing dioxins from nearby incinerators lodged in eggs on local farms and in children's toenails, linked to lung cancer. The APPG on Air Pollution called for a Moratorium on new incinerators. West Norfolk downwind of the facility, is a farming area so the facility could put the local food chain at risk. Building a new incinerator in deprived areas like Wisbech is not levelling up and would worsen health outcomes. Poor air quality causes 40,000 early deaths in the UK. Air pollution can trigger asthma and respiratory and circulatory diseases. This facility would be contrary to Public Health. MENTAL HEALTH Mental Health is a Planning Reason. My residents in South and West Lynn are worried about the incinerator. They know they will be downwind and that not all noxious particulates are captured or even monitored by the filters. Worry increases the risk of poor mental health. Residents went through a lot of anguish in the previous decade, when another firm wanted to build an incinerator in the ward. 65,000 residents voted No to the incinerator in the Borough Council's poll and Norfolk County Council voted to end the contract so the facility was not built. The MVV incinerator would be more than twice as large as the Cory Wheelabrator facility. WEATHER - TEMPERATURE INVERSION 6. I object on meterological grounds. The River Nene and River Ouse and areas of West Norfolk downwind of the proposed incinerator, are subject to temperature inversion when a warmer layer of air above the local atmosphere traps the pollution in and results in a haze of chemicals. The resulting poor air quality can be severe in Spring or the Summer. This can trigger asthma, which is prevalent in King's Lynn and around the Wash. The prevailing winds from Wisbech are South-Westerlies and blow direct to King's Lynn. West Norfolk will see poorer health outcomes if this incinerator is built and an increase in CO2 emissions. Pollution uncaptured by the facility's filters could be carried to South Lynn and beyond. INADEQUATE CONSULTATION MVV's study area for air effects wrongly excluded King's Lynn and residents in King's Lynn were not consulted. This facility would be a breach of my residents's rights to clean air. It should not be built. County Councillor Alexandra Kemp, Clenchwarton and King's Lynn South Division