There were jubilant scenes and a spontaneous round of applause from the public gallery as councillors rejected plans for a gasification plant near Carlisle, because it was felt the evidence of the long-term health implications was unclear.
Members of Cumberland Council’s planning committee attended a special meeting at the Civic Centre to consider the controversial planning application for a site on land next to the former Unit D on the Kingmoor Park Rockcliffe Estate.
The proposed gasification plant would have been around 750m from the southern edge of Rockcliffe village and 1km from the northern end of the village of Cargo.
During the meeting concerns that the evidence provided was not clear were raised. Councillor Andrew Semple (Cockermouth South, Labour) proposed that they reject the application and, when it was put to the vote five were in favour of rejection with two against.
Refusal to grant planning permission marked the end of an 18-month struggle by residents who opposed the revised proposal from North-west Regeneration.
It wanted to create the gasification plant with a 23m flue stack.
The plant would heat waste at high temperatures – generally ranging from 1,200°C to 1,500°C – to break it down into a gas named syngas which can be used for electricity generation or refined into other chemicals and fuel.
It was recommended that full planning permission be granted, subject to conditions, but councillors were sympathetic with the plight of nearest neighbour, farmer John Story, of the health effects on his family by living so close to the site.
After the decision to reject the application, an emotional Mr Story said he farmed at Bank End and that he was genuinely elated that it had been refused.
He said he was proud of the more than 1,200 people who objected to the plans and was thankful the councillors were sympathetic to his health concerns.
He added: “My youngest is asthmatic, and the effects on these, you don’t know what it’s going to be like on the long-term, whether it’ll be five years or 10 years or 15 years.
“There’s more health-related issues in the country nowadays and you never think anything of it until it comes knocking on your own door and when it does, that’s when things hit home.
“I think everyone needs to recognise now that there is an issue and needs addressed while we still have the time. Everyone is someone’s family and they deserve to be taken care of.”
Campaigner David Mudge, who represents Carlisle Residents Against INcineration (CRAIN) and supported Rockcliff and District Action Group and Sustainable Carlisle, was also pleased with the decision.
He added: “Oh, it’s fantastic news. I’m so pleased that they listened.
“They listened to what local residents had got to say, that they listened to the information that we sent them in. And this is a fantastic decision for the whole of Cumberland, really. I mean, this is really amazing.”
Before the meeting Henry Goodwin, one of the directors of Sustainable Carlisle, said: “We are faced with the potential gasification plant and incinerator.
“When we know that burning waste is as dirty as burning coal. It is as dangerous to the climate as anything else that we’ve come up with.”
He said the incinerator also took away focus from trying to get a proper circular economy and added: “We are now burning more waste and all the efforts to recycle have started to slow down, if not stop, and the investment is not going in there.
“Instead, it’s going into these kinds of things. Now this is also a long-term kind of contract, which means it can be a white elephant.
“These were initially supposed to be a part of a jigsaw that included recycling and reuse, and there was some play for energy from waste.
“But it has at its peak and Britain is now saying, and the Government is recognising that we can’t do anymore. So, it’s incomprehensible about why we should be taking this further.”
He said it seemed to be a regressive step to be choosing to put one in the Carlisle area and added: “So I would ask the local council to listen to the people of Carlisle, inform them of the truth about what is happening, the dangers that are involved in it, and please see this as a public health issue and don’t pass it, at least until they have had more time to consider all the evidence.”
Ward councillor Tim Pickstone (Longtown, Lib Dems), said: “This is a brilliant victory for local people.
“Building a plastic gasification plant which would have operation 24/7 all through the year would have been terrible news for Rockcliffe and bad news for the environment.
“Local residents have done such a great job campaigning against this proposal, a huge thank you to everyone involved who have worked so hard to stop this proposal.
“The fight against more waste and energy projects in Rockcliffe may not be over, I will carry on standing up for local residents.”
When approached, no one from North-west Regeneration was available for comment.
