A London-based barrister, working with residents of a village in north Cumbria opposed to plans for a gasification plant, has visited the area during a short fact-finding trip.
Monica Feria-Tinta, part of Twenty Essex chambers and is a specialist in public international law and international arbitration, has been staying in Rockcliffe, near Carlisle, to talk to villagers and get a feel for the area.
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.
At the time a spokesman said: “This decision was made despite the planning officers’ recommendation to approve the application, 250-page report and 18 months of due diligence, and the appointment of an independent consultant called Ricardo Environmental Consulting Services to review all the documents.
“This decision was made despite the Environmental Health Department having appointed a specialist pyrolysis expert consultant to grant the SWIP environmental permit after 13 months of due diligence.
“The environmental permit fully complies with the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and UK Environmental Legislation.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the lawyer – whose book A Barrister For The Earth was published in April – said it was her first visit to the area and the trip had been useful.
She added: “It is one thing on paper about a reality a community may be facing, numbers and technical aspects, and another thing is actually to understand it properly by seeing things with one’s own eyes.”
Ms Feria-Tinta said she was amazed by how close-knit and intact the spirit of the community was and added: “I can see that people care about the place and there are families that have lived here for centuries.”
She said she had also visited some of the waste projects near the village and she was surprised by the number of them. She added: “I witnessed the incredible mountain of rubbish in Hespin Wood.
“I went around and it was unexpected and quite honestly shocking to see for someone that had no idea that it was there.”
She said she understood residents’ health concerns and added: “When it comes to health, and when it comes also to issues such as how proportionate it is to expect a community to put up with even more projects that are causing harm to the environment.”
Ms Feria-Tinta said any appeal would be in the hands of the Planning Inspectorate but there was no decision date as yet.
She added: “Officially there hasn’t been yet an appeal. But once the appeal is there the planning inspector will have to decide. And it may take a month for them to decide once the application is put before them.”
