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NPower's 2006 PLANNING APPLICATION
  
 

 

Oxfordshire County Council were supposed to write letters to the 700 or so people who lodged an objection to the application by NPower to say there was now a new application and they would have to write in again if they want to object.   in July 2006 we found that OCC had not written to all the objectors.  If you objected to the first application, around June 2005, did you receive a letter from OCC telling you that there was a new planning application?  If you did not receive a letter, please let us know, so that a complaint can be lodged against OCC.

NPower started the spin with their news release which Central TV mistook for Good News and broadcast to the Central Southern TV Area that NPower had abandoned their plans to fill the lakes in Radley. 

Indeed they had abandoned their plans, but had also resubmitted a varied plan with the same outcome, destruction of a mature lake and the deposition of thousands of tonnes of fuel ash which have been generated by an ageing dinosaur power station which was supposed to have been phased out of service by 2005.

So, Save Radley Lakes repeated the process all over again to motivate the public to protest at this travesty.  NPower, in the meantime, are trying to tell us that the lights will go out because they can't dump what is equivalent of eight lorry loads of ash per day into our Lakes.

There are other landfill sites which could take this ash.  Indeed PFA is used to cap landfill sites to seal them.  Why aren't NPower looking at these alternatives?  They are too busy making money for their shareholders with their cheap imported high ash content coal and running rings round the local authorities by their failure to recycle and find other uses for PFA.

NPower use the argument that there would be too many road transport movements to take the ash elsewhere but based on the figures provided by them for the amount of ash generated to go to landfill, we have calculated that only eight lorries a day would leave Didcot Power Station bound for somewhere like Calvert which has a huge old quarried area  which needs infilling.

On the day Save Radley Lakes lodged the objection on behalf of the its 550 + members and 11500 petitioners, NPower were up to their tricks again.

There they were on Radio Oxford making out that the EA had given approval to their vile scheme.  Then they were on the local News saying that they had produced record amounts of electricity this winter.  This Dinosaur Power Station has, therefore, produced more CO2, more pollution, more ash and they brag about it.  People have to realise that the low-cost coal option comes with a price - and it is time NPower stopped their spin and started to tell the truth about their ageing polluting monstrosity.

Eventually OCC re-advertised the Planning Application - they forgot the odd word or two - like it didn't agree with their structure plan - but then came the hearing and lo and behold it is deemed to be OK with their structure plan and NPower get the go ahead to destroy this lake and we wonder what has been going on within the corridors of local government power for the last twelve months.
When it came to the hearing on the 10th July, there was no debate.  Most of the Tory Councillors sat there without uttering a sensible sentence.  One of them was so busy texting on his mobile phone whilst the Objectors put their case verbally, and then proceeded to tell us that there are no kingfishers in Radley Lakes! 
Democracy was nowhere to be found in the Council Chamber of Oxfordshire County Council that day!

 

 

 

  
     
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