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.