Chesterfield Against Incineration - Say no to the Chesterfield Incinerator

In July 2008, a Welsh-based company, Cyclamax submitted a planning application to Derbyshire County Council to build a hazardous waste incinerator/gasification plant on Dunston Road in Chesterfield. Derbyshire County Council are expected to make a decision on the application in April 2010. Local residents and business owners are alarmed and concerned about these plans.

The plant will accept 75,000 tonnes of hazardous and non-hazardous types of commercial waste each year - around 17% of this will be recycled and the rest - at least 80%, will be burnt in the incinerator. It will have a main flue of 21 metres and 3 emergency flues/bypass vents that can let out completely unfiltered emissions when the system backs up/breaks down.

There is no long term, real life evidence of the health impact of this type of technology, yet health statistics and research in other areas surrounding incinerators are frightening (look up Professor Paul Connett, Dr van Steenis and reports such as 'An industry blowing up smoke' or 'The Health Impacts of Waste Incinerators' as examples) and there are 30,000 residents and 19 schools within just 2 miles of the proposed site.

As well as health fears the road network around Dunston Road (a country B road) is completely unsuitable and unsafe for an extra 370 vehicle movements per day, which will include an HGV carrying waste at least every 10 minutes. There is likely to be a negative impact on the local economy from many nearby existing businesses saying they will move away and others who will certainly not expand in the area.

The semi-rural location with views across open countryside and greenbelt land will be destroyed for the thousands of people and wildlife that currently enjoy the area.