Wednesday 7 November 2018

Press release on Question to First Minister on Incinerators


Speaking after the First Minsters Questions, Mike Hedges said…. With Health Concerns to the fore when residents have contacted me about this type of facility,  It is important to clarify why some polluting facilities have regulations which say they can’t be built within a certain distance of houses and others have no such restriction. With the evidence regarding the Health impact of living close to incinerators at best uncertain it would be best to act on the side of caution and not permit incinerators to be built close to residential areas. I will continue to urge that the Welsh Government amend TAN 21 to reflect the same rules as applies for opencast sites.





Mike Hedges AM - 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policy on the building of incinerators? OAQ52842



First Minister of Wales



'Planning Policy Wales' and technical advice note 21 on waste provide a comprehensive framework for assessing proposals for waste management infrastructure in Wales. And we, of course, support the implementation of overarching waste management policy that's contained in 'Towards Zero Waste'.  52





Mike Hedges AM - Thank you for that answer. TAN 21, as you've just outlined, covers waste disposal, but, unlike opencast, where, since 2009, coal mines have to be built more than 500m away from homes, there does not appear to be a rule on distance of incinerators from houses. I've an incinerator planned for the Llansamlet area of Swansea that is close to both houses and a school. Will the Welsh Government consider a distance from houses and schools for the building of incinerators and amend TAN 21 accordingly?53

14:05



First Minister of Wales



Well, there'd have to be a scientific basis for doing that—as to why 500m would have a beneficial effect. But what I can say, of course, is that incineration and co-incineration are subject to the stringent protective requirements of the industrial emissions directive. They've been incorporated into Welsh legislation for a number of years and they include requirements that there should be strict emissions limits for potentially polluting substances; there are monitoring requirements and operating conditions that are applied through environmental permits issued by the environmental regulator. I can also say that, if there are adverse impacts, of course, on amenity or the environment, and they cannot be mitigated, then planning permission, of course, can be refused on those grounds.


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