Anaerobic Waste Recycling Plant application - official protest 15th February outside KCC

Following on from the Folkestone Herald article below, we need to protest at KCC regarding this application. here is a brief summary of some key points:

Would you want an Anaerobic Waste Recycling Plant on your doorstep – that is what this proposal is all about! Its proposed to be near people’s homes in the village of Sellindge, opposite the Airport Café – with much extra heavy traffic (150 lorries plus per day) - along the already overloaded A20, in a highly dangerous location. Also, there is the extra noise to suffer every day/all day and the damage to our beautiful countryside, with the additional major concerns regarding local habitation and plants. What about pollution to local sewage and water. Surely, there must be a more appropriate place away from people and houses.

Margaret Ludlow has provisionally booked buses to take protesters to County Hall Maidstone on the 15th February and already people have put their names down. If you can possibly come to Maidstone to demonstrate to the Planning Committee your opposition to the proposals please do so. County Councillor Susan Carey says such demonstrations do have a big effect. Please register your interest now by Contacting Margaret on mjludlow@toucansurf.com or 01303 813 369.

Further news will appear here as soon as its known so please keep looking.

Protest to stop sludge plant plan - Folkestone Herald article 27 January - join our protest

In this weeks Folkestone Herald (27 January), is the article below. Click on the image to increase its size, so you can more easily read the article. Once you have finished, click on the back arrow in the top left of the screen to return to here.

KCC - Kent Mineral and Waste Sites Development Plan Documents - Supplementary Options Consultation

From: Rachel.Cutler@kent.gov.uk [mailto:Rachel.Cutler@kent.gov.uk]
Sent: 21 October 2011 15:23
To: dave@davemotley.co.uk
Subject: Kent Mineral and Waste Sites Development Plan Documents - Supplementary Options Consultation

Dear Consultee

Mineral and Waste Sites Development Plan Documents - Supplementary Options Consultation commencing on Monday 24^th October 2011.[1]

Kent County Council is part way through the process of preparing a new Minerals and Waste Development Framework. The final framework will be in three parts – a Core Strategy, a Mineral Sites Development Plan Document and a Waste Sites Development Plan Document. 

This email[2] is to notify you and invite you to join the consultation on the supplementary minerals and waste sites options. You are invited to give us your views on the site options that are proposed.

The current consultation document includes nine new sites submitted late to our site assessment process as well as five sites previously consulted upon between May and August 2011 which now have significant modifications. It also gives details of two sites withdrawn by the operator or landowner who promoted the site for consideration.

The Mineral Sites and the Waste Sites Development Plan Documents consultations at ‘options’ stage, held between May and August 2011, was the first time we have asked for your views in the process of preparing these plans. These documents identified proposed sites for consideration for future minerals or waste uses. The responses received from that consultation are informing the site assessment and selection process in preparation for the final allocation of suitable sites in later consultation stages. No decisions have been made yet regarding which sites will become allocations.

To submit your comments and view the document we recommend you go to our online consultation portal at: http://consult.kent.gov.uk/portal/supplementary_sites/site_options. Alternatively you can email your comments to mwdf@kent.gov.uk or write to us at:

MWDF Project Team

Planning and Environment

Kent County Council,

Invicta House, Maidstone

Kent ME14 1XX

This consultation closes at 5pm on Monday 19^th December 2011.

You can also inspect copies of the Supplementary Sites consultation document at the main Kent County Council offices[3], in Gateways, and in Kent libraries. Please note all comments received will be published online on our consultation portal.

Please contact us at the addresses above or visit our website www.kent.gov.uk/mwdf for further information. If you prefer to be contacted in future by email, please send us your email address.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

Lillian Harrison

Minerals and Waste Policy Planning Manager

---

[1] Formal Notice of the Preparation of Kent County Council’s Minerals and Waste Development Framework – Regulation 25 Consultation.

[2] made in accordance with Regulation 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2204) (as amended by the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1371) and the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2009

[3] Sessions House, Maidstone; Joynes House, Gravesend; Kroner House, Ashford; Kings Hill Office, West Malling; St. Peter's House, Broadstairs. 

Letter to Mr Cameron - People must not have policies forced on them from above

                                                               7^th October 2011

 Dear Mr Cameron,

This is my fourth letter to you about your statement that “people must not have any scheme thrust upon them from above”. Like many others, I am still waiting for this to become law.

Your government has said that there will be no restrictions on building houses in the countryside. The argument given is there is a shortage of affordable houses. When I was at a local meeting I asked what is affordable housing but nobody could give me a definite answer. Unfortunately, if the building programmes materialises this will allow the builders and land owners, to disregard the views of local people who will be “rough shod” over by these people. It is pointless saying that Local Government will control the situation. From the experience of the people in my village, Local Government is more interested in legal costs if a plan is rejected and the applicants appeal.

If you had instigated your suggested policy you would have been top of the Popularity Poll. You would have enabled local people to become involved in all planning in their locality; a true democratic procedure. A scheme could be devised whereby a committee would be formed incorporating those who will be affected by the outcome. From our experience, those who apply and those who decide are unaffected by the outcome whereas those living locally have to live with it.

Please will you establish what you said?

Yours sincerely,

  

F.J.Turton

Reorganise local government? - response from Eric Pickles

From: fred turton [mailto:brain37@live.co.uk]
Sent: 11 October 2011 09:10
To: dave
Subject: RE: Letters

I got a reply from Eric Pickles or from his department, who said that there are no immediate plans to reorganise local government. The way the economy is going I have a feeling that they may come back to my suggestion as they are desperate for money. The cut backs we are getting and the general attitude is identical to the Thatcher period. I have the book 'Dancing with Dogma' by Ian Gilmour who was in Thatcher's Cabinet and reading it is like reading today's newspapers. During her time we had that magnificent bonanza of North Sea oil and gas, which was wasted on the unemployed, unlike Norway who invested theirs in their infrastructure. At the time I was studying Industrial Relations at a high level and could see through their arguments.

I wrote to Duncan Smith about the State Pension. I also wrote to a previous minister a good few years ago on the some subject. They keep telling us that they cannot to pay pensions at the same rate. I said that everyone who pays NHS contributions is entitled to a pension. I asked the questions, how many people die before pensionable age, a year after or by the age of 70 years? I was told that a third of women and two thirds of men die before this age. How many women actually draw a full pension? I said instead of talking about the cost they are in fact saving £millions. As it is we have the worst State Pension in Europe with the next lowest being Holland where the pension is twice as much as ours. I said that its not a case of can't afford it but more that they don't want to afford it. Unless people die everyone is affected. I am still waiting for a reply.

Fred

Abolish the County Councils?

From: brain37@live.co.uk
To: ceefax@bbc.co.uk
Subject: Re: Costs
Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 19:38:00 +0100

 I agree with you PC, Worcestershire, 9/10, about reducing the number of MP's. I would go a stage further and have written to the government  suggesting that they should abolish the County Councils. I pay 70% of my house tax to the County Council and the work they do is duplicated by the District Councils. If this was implemented then the system would be more democratic as this Council must be more responsive to local pressure. Instead of paying for very large salaries and the up-keep of County Hall, the money could go direct to those who are responsible for local needs.

Thank you,

Fred Turton. 

Update/Reply from Environmental Agency to Susan Carey email re Environmental Permit application from Countrystyle Recycling

From: Susan.Carey@kent.gov.uk

To: mjludlow@toucansurf.com

Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 10:03 PM

Subject: FW: Otterpool Quarry

Margaret - I think this information from the Environment Agency should be more widely shared.  Can you get it on the SANDRA website?

Thanks,

Susan

---

From: Dengate, Alan [mailto:alan.dengate@environment-agency.gov.uk]
Sent: Wed 19/10/2011 15:28
To: Carey, Susan - MEM
Cc: Cansdale, Alan
Subject: RE: Otterpool Quarry

Dear Cllr Carey,

Thank you for your email of 18/10/11, Alan Cansdale has asked me to reply on his behalf.

As a quick summary for your newsletter, we have not received an Environmental Permit (EP) application from Countrystyle Recycling.

However, you may like to include any of the following Q&A's/links/attachments as further background information for your readers.

How long would an Environmental Permit (EP) take to determine ?

For a Bespoke permit, up to 4 months from when the application is received.  However, if the application for the permit is more complex because of other legislation or planning constraints, then we would agree a different timescale with the applicant.

More information can be found at this link:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/aboutus/customercharter/default.aspx

How will we consult ?

For any EP application at Otterpool, we would use a range of methods to fully involve the local community in consultation process.  Again, more in depth information can be found at this link:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/permitting/36420.aspx

Can they build the installation without having the permit ?

Technically yes, but they would be unable to operate the plant without the permit having been granted by us.

Do they need to de-contaminate the site first and is it contaminated land ?

Kent County Council granted planning permission on 28 March 2011.  There are a number of planning conditions that will have to be met by the operator . All the conditions we requested to safeguard the environment were included and covered remediation of potential land contamination, surface water management and flood risk.  More information on the planning decision can be found in the attached PDF document. (these can be found via the links below). 

If you have any other questions, please let Alan or I know.

Regards.

Alan

Alan Dengate

Principal Communications Officer

Kent & South London and Solent & South Downs

  

From: Susan.Carey@kent.gov.uk [mailto:Susan.Carey@kent.gov.uk]
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 10:24 PM
To: Cansdale, Alan
Subject: Otterpool Quarry
 

I wonder if there is any news on Otterpool Quarry that could be shared with my Sellindge villagers?  The copy deadline for our village newsletter is the end of this week and I'd like to say something even if it is only that there has been no progress.

Hope to hear from you.

Kind Regards,

Susan Carey

Member, Elham Valley

Kent County Council

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KCC Decision - 28 March 2011 

Environmental permits - What you need to know 

Waste and industrial sites - How we decide whether to grant a permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 

Environmental permits for waste operations and industrial sites - Making your views known 

Two Wind Anemometer Masts erected Harringe Brooks - 20th October 2011

Below are more photos of the two Wind Anemometer Masts recently erected (around 20th October 2011) on Harringe Brooks, Sellindge. The 6 intended wind turbines (depending on the results of these Masts and planning approval) will have a height of 79 metres to the hub, with a rotor diameter of 82 metres and believed to produce the equivalent to power 10,000 homes.

Note - you can google 'Ecotricity Sellindge' for more detail.

To see more clearly (enlarge the photo) click on the image below - thhe wind masts do appear in each photo. (You can obviously also go and see them for real, for example, from the A20/Otterpool lane.) Once finished, click on the back-arrow at the top left of the screen twice to return to the 'Home' page.

Harringe Brooks Wind Anemometer Mast - 20 October 2011

Below is a photo of the first Wind Anemometer Mast erected on 20th October 2011 at Harringe Brooks. To see more clearly (enlarge the photo) click on the image below. Once finished, click on the back-arrow at the top left of the screen, twice, to return to the 'Home' page.

Lympne Airfield Village Green Application - photo shoot Saturday 26th November

Dear All,

                                    Lympne Airfield

Would everyone supporting our Village Green application to save the Airfield meet at the County Members Car Park at 9am next Saturday 26th for a picture to accompany an article in the HERALD following last week's public announcement in the Kent on Saturday.

It will only take half an hour to complete.  Please get there if you can.

As there are many for whom we do not have an email address and to ensure that everyone is fully informed about what has to be done now to support our Village Green application a leaflet will be delivered during the next few days.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

David

David Plumstead
Shepway Environment and Community Network
and
Out on a Lympne