OVER 15 days before Easter, It was my privilege to attend the public planning inquiry at Bury Town Hall to represent the thousands of residents who supported the Ramsbottom Against the Waste Site (RAWS) campaign to prevent Shuttleworth and Ramsbottom being spoiled by the imposition of an anaerobic digestion (AD) food waste plant on our community by Peel, Marshalls and Tamar Energy.

The inquiry was called due to the developers appealing against the decision of Bury Council to throw out the planning application last year, and the case has also been ‘called in’ for judgment by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Over the course of the inquiry, we covered in detail the key questions about inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and the risks to local residents and wildlife from smells, air pollution, noise, dust and increased traffic.

The inquiry discovered what local residents already know: that the main A56 road is at capacity at peak times, with regular traffic queues extending for up to a mile in the morning.

We also heard that the proposed plant will also be closer to a large number of residents’ homes, restaurants and a school than any other AD plant in the UK, and that there is no local demand for more waste treatment facilities in Greater Manchester or Lancashire.

The inquiry had an ‘away day’ to visit Tamar’s AD plant in Essex, where we discovered that over 150 complaints had been received from nearby residents about noise and smells in the first 9 months of operation.

I would like to thank Mr Butterworth, Mr Duckett and Cllr Bevan for their detailed technical submissions, Mr and Mrs Abrahamsen for their sterling support throughout the inquiry (including travelling to Essex on our behalf) and to the many members of the public who attended and spoke passionately during the open evening session. Recognition should also be given to Bury North MP David Nuttall for his representations to the Secretary of State to call in the appeal case.

Despite RAWS being totally opposed to its their plans for the AD plant, I would also like to acknowledge the team from Peel, Marshalls and Tamar, and their advisers from SLR and Walker Morris, and thank them for the way in which the inquiry was conducted: professionally and with courtesy to the RAWS representatives throughout.

Now the inquiry has been completed, we await the inspector producing a report that will be forwarded to the Secretary of State to make the final decision, which is expected to happen later in the year and in any event after the General Election.

I believe that the RAWS team presented a strong and compelling case to the inspector, and we look forward to the Secretary of State upholding the original decision of Bury Council and rejecting the appeal.

Dr Peter Jackson Shuttleworth