OPINION - Anguish at Lochhead's broken promises
At last year's National Conversation (travelling roadshow of Scottish Ministers), Richard Lochhead pledged that he would not overturn local authority planning decisions on waste incinerators. He said that he would not do such a thing because he would be accused of being undemocratic.
Subsequently 5 local authorities turned down planning applications for incinerators (click here). In Invergordon, the company appealed, and a Government Reporter was appointed to hear the appeal. On 11 May the Reporter decided in favour of the Incineration company.
If Mr Lochhead had been true to his word, he could have instructed the Reporter in Invergordon at the outset of the appeal to make a recommendation rather than a decision. The final decision would then have been made by Scottish Ministers.
Mr Lochhead, by choosing to give full decision-making powers to the Reporter, has effectively renéged on his promise not to overturn the democratic decisions of local authorities.
The Invergordon decision has given encouragement to Viridor with its appeal in Dunbar, and Grundon with its appeal in Perth, and put local people in a state of fear an alarm (isn't that the definition of a "breach of the peace").
This is not the first time Mr Lochhead has broken his promise with regard to incineration. In January 2008 he announced that there would be no large new waste incinerators, but he refused to do anything about the monstrous 300,000 tonne-per-annum incinerator proposed for Greengairs. Allowing the Greengairs project to go ahead also contradicts an amendment to the National Waste Plan agreed by the Scottish Parliament on 11 June 2009 "that, given the good progress being made so far, there should be no necessity for any large-scale waste-to-energy plants to be built in Scotland and that reuse, reducing waste creation and recycling are the best way forward” (click here). This vote appears to have been overturned by the new Zero Waste Plan which now promotes waste incineration as "renewable energy".
Subsequently 5 local authorities turned down planning applications for incinerators (click here). In Invergordon, the company appealed, and a Government Reporter was appointed to hear the appeal. On 11 May the Reporter decided in favour of the Incineration company.
If Mr Lochhead had been true to his word, he could have instructed the Reporter in Invergordon at the outset of the appeal to make a recommendation rather than a decision. The final decision would then have been made by Scottish Ministers.
Mr Lochhead, by choosing to give full decision-making powers to the Reporter, has effectively renéged on his promise not to overturn the democratic decisions of local authorities.
The Invergordon decision has given encouragement to Viridor with its appeal in Dunbar, and Grundon with its appeal in Perth, and put local people in a state of fear an alarm (isn't that the definition of a "breach of the peace").
This is not the first time Mr Lochhead has broken his promise with regard to incineration. In January 2008 he announced that there would be no large new waste incinerators, but he refused to do anything about the monstrous 300,000 tonne-per-annum incinerator proposed for Greengairs. Allowing the Greengairs project to go ahead also contradicts an amendment to the National Waste Plan agreed by the Scottish Parliament on 11 June 2009 "that, given the good progress being made so far, there should be no necessity for any large-scale waste-to-energy plants to be built in Scotland and that reuse, reducing waste creation and recycling are the best way forward” (click here). This vote appears to have been overturned by the new Zero Waste Plan which now promotes waste incineration as "renewable energy".
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Re: OPINION - Anguish at Lochhead's broken promises