Newsletter Issue 1 July 2010

Welcome to the first edition of our Monthly Newsletter designed to keep local communities in touch with our campaign to stop an incinerator being built at the old Wholesale Market site at Cross Green or at the old filter beds at the Knostrop Treatment works near by.

The no2incinerator campaign organised a Public Meeting at Richmond Hill Primary School at 6.30pm on Monday 21 June 2010 and despite some stiff competition from both the World Cup and the opening day of Wimbledon we had an impressive turnout of local residents and representatives of communities near by who will also be badly affected by this proposed development.

Two presentations were given at the meeting, one from Sarah Covell on the effects of incinerators and incineration on communities like ours, and one on PFI contracts, how they are constructed and what their their long term effects might be from Stuart Hodkinson.

To help what could have been very dry but important facts go down more easily we provided a good sound system and slide show and also home made cakes and refreshments donated by kind volunteers.

After the presentations the residents broke up into four groups to come up with questions which they felt had not been adequately answered by the many 'consultations', leaflets or expensively produced glossy brochures put out by the council. These have now been collated and will be put to the people with the power to answer them at our next public meeting which will be on

13 September, 2010 at 7.00pm at Richmond Hill Primary School, Clark Crescent.

Just before our Public Meeting we were informed that the waste management company Biffa are intending to put in a Planning Application to build a 300,000 tonnes Incinerator in the Lower Aire Valley at the site of the old Skelton Grange Power Station. They too were holding 'consultations' with affected residents, and although their presentation was very slick is did not have home made butterfly buns!

If approved this would mean that this relatively small area of Inner Leeds would be playing unwilling host to FOUR incinerators, one landfill, and a Sewage Works.

Since that meeting however there has been the very worrying development of the fire at a Waste processing plant in Garforth and its as yet unknown long term consequences for the residents of the area. Whilst we have had assurances that the proposed incinerator will be completely safe we are equally sure that the residents of Garforth had the same or similar assurances regarding the plant in their area and the community here, which is already worried and deeply unhappy at the placement of this facility in such a densely populated area, is now even more concerned.

Some of the questions which came out of the meeting we now have answers to and these we will be appearing on the Blog over the next few days, others can only be answered by the people who have the real power to decide or change things and these are the people are we intend to invite to the meeting together with our local councillors, MP and members of the press.

Come along and listen to what they have to say about the things that concern you in the area where you and your children live. If you live here, own a home, have children going to school here this meeting is aimed at you.

This is another chance for the people of Richmond Hill, Cross Green, Osmondthorpe, Halton Moor and the Neville's to have THEIR say on a matter which will affect them and their children for many years to come.