Friday, December 21, 2007

ONE DARK SATANIC MILL


MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR RUGBY!

CEMENT WORKS PREVENTS INVESTMENT IN RUGBY:
Rugby Councillors have thrown out a planning application for a BUTCHERS PET CARE factory and a one hundred foot chimney, in the COTON PARK DEVELOPMENT - because of the experience gained (suffered!!) with the Rugby Cement plant! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH - or too much even!!

Various people commented:

* "We already have one dark satanic mill in the shape of the cement works, we don't want another one!"
* "The people have won the battle against the planners!"
* "Thousands of people have protested against it - they thought it was a done-deal but we gave them a bloody nose!"
* "They say that it is safe but that is what they said about the cement factory - and everyone knows that is simply not true!"
* "This goes against all the town's plans to improve itself!"

The Warwickshire Telegraph reported that it boiled down to protection of amenities, and a 700 strong petition - the RUGBY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE did not want it - RUGBY SCHOOL did not want it - surrounding businesses did not want it, and thousands of residents did not want to live near the factory in the shadow of a 100 foot chimney, which would generate smelly emissions, create extra traffic, and impact badly on house prices!

Cynics might ask then why have these same Councillors done absolutely nothing to protect the residents against the increasing impact of the CEMEX CO-INCINERATOR? They have ignored an 8,000 strong petition, passing planning applications one after another to convert the old cement plant from a 300,000 tonne environmental disaster into a 2,000,000 tonne a year waste co-incinerator, allowing the emissions of 3,000 tonnes a day of polluted gas from the main 115 metre chimney and much other pollution from the low level sources, and not to mention the occasional eight tonnes of pulverised fuel (etc!) on our heads, and 800 or so lorries a day!

Could it be that the nearest residents to that industrial behemoth are in deprived wards with Councillors who do nothing, while the middle classes at Coton Park have more influence and clout? But maybe this is a turning point and Councillors are now prepared to fight back against these planning officers who they are, after all, supposed to instruct? Rugby residents need a champion within the Rugby and Warwick Councils - which COUNCILLOR will step forward, and rise to the challenge to HELP RUGBY IMPROVE ITSELF?

UPDATE ON REDROW AND NEW BILTON RAIL SIDING:
RBC Environmental Health Office have said that Cemex and EWS only need a Permit (LA-PPC) for the unloading of coal at the site. For the loading/unloading of "ALL OTHER MATERIALS INCLUDING ANY MANNER OR QUANTITIES OF WASTES" they will not need any application or permission. So the Cemex conveyor/s, due to be put in the £330,000 tunnel under Parkfield Road, thoughtfully provided by the tax payers as part of the Western Relief Road scheme, will carry what exactly?

Meanwhile the cost of the Relief Road Scheme has soared from £11 million in 2000 to £37 million due to the interference of Rugby Cement (RMC) who "claimed" they wished to re-open the railway - when in truth they would only do so if the great British public paid for it for them. Now there seems to be some areas of contention between WCC and Cemex about the WRR route, and the ownership of the land over which it will pass. PLANNING CONSULTANTS have advised REDROW residents to take legal action against the developers and against Rugby Council for "misinforming them" about the status of the railway siding which has actually been in use since the late 1990's. Rugby Cement did not use the railway siding as it was CHEAPER FOR THEM to run 20,000 coal-laden juggernauts in Rugby town centre - regardless of the environmental and health impact! RBC seem set to face yet another OMBUDSMAN inquiry.

INCOMPETENCE AND THE TANGLED WEB OF LIES AND DECEIT: has lead to the cement/co-incinerator installation falling foul of all the various planning and environmental laws, including the EIA Directive, Public Participation Directive and the Aarhus Convention - not to mention HUMAN RIGHTS! Have a look at the paper "Environmental Law and Planning Update" given at the Planning Law and Practice Conference by David Elvin QC on 29 March 2007 for more information. Between 25 June 2005 and 15 January 2007 the UK was in breach of the Directive and during this time Warwickshire County Council was busy rushing through the installation of bag filters to permit the burning of wastes, and various other permissions without complying with the relevant Law - which may lead to further court action against them. So far WCC have declined to answer questions about the storage of hundreds of tonnes of various unquantified and unqualified industrial wastes at the site, and about their consideration at the planning application stage of the impact of the massive plume, which loops, and falls, and hangs over the whole town of Rugby and beyond. Watch this space!

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