County Council delays Calvert incinerator decision

The County Council's Development Control Committee today decided to delay a decision on the proposed incinerator at Calvert until after their new Minerals and Waste Core Strategy has come into force.

There will be no decision on the proposed waste incinerator in Aylesbury Vale until later this year.

The proposed incinerator would occupy a 255 hectare site at Lower Greatmoor Farm, have a 95 metre tall chimney, have the capacity to burn 300 thousand tonnes of rubbish every year and include a pit for hazardous waste.

Below is a summary of the representation I made to the committee on behalf of
Steeple Claydon Parish Council:

1. Does Bucks need a 300,000 tonne incinerator ? No.

- maximum annual residual municipal waste is 110,000 - 150,000 tonnes
- disincentive to better recycling
- why should Bucks become a dumping ground for waste from other counties ?
- case for a single incinerator on this scale has not been made
- against policies 10,11 and 17 of the Bucks Minerals and Waste Local Plan

2. Is Calvert the right location for an incinerator ? No

- area of quiet unspoilt rural landscape
- surrounded by SSSIs and local wildlife sites of national importance (Sheephouse Wood, Grendon and Doddershall Woods), Finemere Wood, Decoypond Wood, Romer Wood, Greatsea Wood)
- wildlife includes rare protected species such as the Black Hairstreak butterfly and Bechstein bat.
- part of the ancient Bernwood Forest
- nearby National Trust properties Claydon House and Waddesdon Manor
- would affect 2 listed buildings (Finemere Hill House and Lower Greatmoor Farm)
- inadequate local road network
- although the site is next to a railway line there are no plans in the application to transport any waste by train
- against policies 19 and 24 of the Bucks Minerals and Waste Local Plan

3. Was the option of a single facility at Calvert with the waste all being transported by road approved by the County Council’s preferred options report in 2008 ? No

- the report in Feb 2008 concluded that this option (Option 1A) was ‘unacceptable’ in terms of transport assessment, and ‘unlikely to be deliverable’.
- this option scored the lowest (together with 1 other) out of 34 different options
- the transport assessment stated that this option was one with ‘the highest associated mileage and thus the most associated negative impacts’
- environmental impact of over 100 HGV movements a day

4. Does the proposal agree with the proximity principle ? No

- two thirds of Bucks waste is generated in the south of the county
- most is generated along the M40 corridor
- the best location for an incinerator would be somewhere along the M40
- against policy 30 of the Bucks Minerals and Waste Local Plan, which states:
‘proposals that do not comply with the proximity principle will not normally be permitted’.

AVDC freezes council tax again

Council tax to be frozen for second year running

Aylesbury Vale District Council has voted to freeze council tax for the second year running. The freeze has been made possible by a one-off grant from the government, which is being offered to all local authorities that do not increase their council tax in 2012/13.
It will mean the district council element of residents’ total council tax bill will remain at £131.07 for an average Band D property – which is the equivalent of just £2.52 a week. This helps pay for a wide range of services including housing support, planning, refuse and recycling services and street cleaning.
In developing a budget for the 2012/13 financial year, the council has had to find £2.6 million in savings from its £18 million revenue budget due to reduced government funding and pressures such as the increased cost of utilities (fuel and electricity). This saving is needed on top of the £1.2 million savings delivered to balance the 2011/12 budget. In 2013/14, the council will need to save at least another £1 million to balance the books.
An array of saving solutions have been approved by councillors to allow the council to have a balanced budget position for the next financial year.