The Chiltern Society

HOT NEWS – Energy from waste in the Chilterns

There is a pressing need to reduce the disposal of waste in land fill partly for financial and partly for environmental reasons. Counties in the Chilterns are urgently seeking solutions to this problem. In September, Bucks County Council announced that they had chosen Covanta as the preferred bidder for dealing with that part of the County's waste remaining after achieving the highest possible recycling level. The proposal is for the waste to be burned in an Energy from Waste installation (EfW) at a site in Bedfordshire in one of the old brick pits, Rookery Pit South, near Stewartby, south of Bedford.

Covanta, a company with a very wide experience in the operation of this technology still have to develop the finer points of their proposal during the coming year. It is anticipated that the plant would eventually have capacity for dealing with some 585,000 tons waste per annum. As currently considered, BCC would plan to supply just under a quarter of this waste capacity. The plant would have electricity generating capacity in excess of 50 megawatts. In addition, nearby developments would benefit from being able to utilise the waste heat. The power production capacity of the plant is at a level for it to be regarded as a power station. Consequently the application from Covanta will be decided by Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act in consultation with regulatory authorities and the local community. It is anticipated that the plant would become operational in the year 2014.

BCC make the point that the proposal would have substantial financial savings over current landfill disposal and would represent a substantially more favourable environmental option.

Plans for South East and East of England Regions
The Society attempts to ensure that Regional Plans take into account the special character of the landscape and settlements that make up the Chiltern area.

Ever-changing Government Planning Legislation
Government Legislation on Planning matters is evolving rapidly, often in an uncoordinated and contradictory way. The Society attempts to follow the changes to ensure maximum protection of the Chilterns from unsuitable developments.

Pressure for additional housing
The Government has announced its intention to provide considerable number of new houses in the South East of England. The Society is concerned that the siting of these large developments in or near the Chilterns would have a detrimental environmental effect due to the increased population and lack of infrastructure provisions.

East of Luton
Click these words for more about Luton and South Bedfordshire Joint Planning Committee's road plan and proposals for thousands of new houses, which threaten the A.O.N.B.

Traffic Management, including Motorway Service Stations
The Society opposed plans to build a Motorway Service Station on the M40 at Hedgerley, as this was on green belt land and required the destruction on ancient woodland. Now that the decision to proceed has been taken, we are looking at the detailed plans to minimise the adverse environmental effect.

Airport Developments at Heathrow and Luton
The Society is opposed to further expansion of Heathrow and Luton Airports as this would result in considerable negative environmental effect on the Chilterns due to the extra traffic, pressure for housing and noise pollution. We do support the concept of a new airport in the Thames Estuary as a solution to the demand for additional capacity.

Siting of Telecommunication masts
A watchful eye is being maintained on plans for additional telecommunication masts so as to minimise the visual impact on the Chiltern landscape.

Waste Management Projects
The Society supports Local Authorities in their attempts to reduce the use of landfill as a means of disposal of non-recyclable waste due to the danger of polluting the aquifer and the non-availability of suitable sites. It favours the use of modern incineration plants, with heat recovery systems, for this purpose. The siting of such facilities would pose considerable problems.

Development of Town Centres
Many of the Chiltern Towns are subject to considerable development by cramming houses and apartment blocks into released plots and gardens, thus increasing the population and consequent traffic and congestion, with no provision of infrastructure improvements. The Society would encourage sympathetic development of the Towns that protect their unique Chiltern character.

Loss of village infrastructure
A characteristic of the Chilterns is not only to be found in its landscape but also in the charm and uniqueness of its villages and settlements. The steady loss of village amenities, such as shops, post offices, pubs, etc is having an adverse effect on the nature of these settlements. Solutions to these problems are being looked at.

Protection of the Greenbelt policy
The Society strongly supports the Greenbelt Policy as a means of avoiding urban sprawl, and is working towards protecting this for the benefit and health of everyone.

Major Local Planning Applications
These are dealt with by our local planning teams as and when they arise, always with the objective of minimising the environmental impact on the Chilterns.