Issue No. 21 December 2011 Parish Council News Village Broadband Explained Allerton Waste Recovery Plant Village Clubs Village News Moor Monkton History Part 6 Church News Weather Watch Cover Photo: Red House Chapel in the Snow (by Robin Gordon) Moor Monkton Mercury No. 21 December 2011 1 Parish Council Planning Applications Four planning applications have been dealt with since the last newsletter: • Mrs J. Mawson, Laburnum Barn (Erection of single storey extensions and conversion of 2 garages to home office) – the Parish Council had no objections. • Mr C. Lavington, Turnbridge House (2 applications) (Erection of agricultural building with solar panels and erection of detached garage) – the Parish Council had no objections. • Mr & Mrs J. Wilkin, Beck House Farm (Erection of extensions to 2 existing agricultural buildings) - The Parish Council did not object to or support the application, but requested that Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) Planning ensure the landscaping conditions associated with the original application were being met. Dog Fouling This issue continues to come up at Council Meetings and the Clerk has contacted HBC’s Dog Control Officer on several occasions in an effort to make progress. Despite having a photograph of a dog fouling, HBC is unable to take action against the owner as the dog was on private property at the time. We have ordered more signs but we are limited as to where they can legally be placed, so please contact the Clerk if you would like to display one on your property. Other than that, unless parishioners report details of incidents we are unable to do more. Email [email protected] or ring the Dog Warden on 01423 556633. A Harrogate Dog Warden with dog Broadband Some of you may be aware that we have the chance of improving our broadband connection within the village via a wireless link from Nun Monkton School. The scheme is dependent on obtaining funding to subsidise the installation costs from £300 per household down to £75 (plus £30 for new router). Thereafter the cost is similar to existing broadband monthly subscriptions with a range of packages from £15 to £35 depending on usage. Approximately 100 households can benefit before the funding runs out and this will be shared equally between Nun Monkton and Moor Monkton. The funding has been agreed but we are awaiting the official “go ahead” to release the application forms. (See the article on page 7). Finance The precept for 2012/13 has been kept at the same level as last year, we are mindful that the value of our reserves will not keep pace with inflation but we now have a reasonable buffer to cope with any unexpected expenditure. Little progress has been made so far on the Village Plan and provision can be made in future years dependent on the outcome. Payments made recently were for Clerk’s wages and expenses, grass verge cutting, paint for the Jubilee tree bench and Councillors’ travelling expenses. 2 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 21 December 2011 Allerton Incinerator We have pledged to donate £500 to NYWAG (North Yorkshire Waste Action Group) in support of their campaign against the Allerton Park Incinerator. The planning application has been submitted to NYCC and is currently open to consultation. The deadline for comments has been extended until the 16th of December 2011. Comments should be sent to: Planning Services, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AH or via email to [email protected] quoting the planning reference NY/2011/0328/ENV. The Parish Council has written to the Secretary of State to ask that the application be “called in” – so that it is decided by an inquiry rather than allowing NYCC to determine their own application. We have also asked that the £65m PFI contract underpinning the scheme is reviewed to examine whether it provides “value for money” – we believe that it does not. At a time when our services (such as the mobile library) are being cut, we believe that it is wrong to tie the County’s rate-payers into a 25 year contract, when cheaper, greener alternatives are available . (See the article on page 4). Other Matters There are currently 3 village websites which could be confusing for residents so the Clerk will liaise with the creators on developing a main site with links to the others. The problem of the invasive weed Himalayan Balsam taking over riverbanks and other areas within the village was brought to the attention of the Council. It was decided that action would need to be taken next year before seeds are dispersed, preferably in co-operation with neighbouring parishes. Himalayan Balsam (or Would you like to be a Parish Councillor? The current “Popweed”) is eaily Councillors’ four year term of office ends in May 2012 when recognised by its pink flowers elections will take place, at least 2 councillors will not be and popping seed pods. This standing for re-election. The next scheduled Parish Council annual plant grows up to 6ft meeting is on the 10th of January – why not come along and tall by late August. see what is involved? Cllr Elaine Hall You are invited to A Festival of Lessons and Carols at Red House Chapel 6pm on Saturday the 17th of December Accompanied by the Brass Quintet “Something Else” Complimentary mince pies, mulled wine and hot chocolate will be served afterwards Please wrap up well as the chapel is not heated! Moor Monkton Mercury No. 21 December 2011 3 Allerton Incinerator We have covered this issue in previous editions of The Mercury but it is, and will be, a long running story with long term consequences for everyone living in North Yorkshire and particularly for those of us in Moor Monkton, so sorry for banging on about it! First a quick reminder of the facts. • North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council, in partnership with the Spanish Company AmeyCespa, are planning to build a waste incinerator. • The site is adjacent to Allerton Quarry (already the site of a rubbish landfill operation) close to the junction of the A59 and A1(M). The location is 7 miles west of Moor Monkton. • This facility will handle ALL the domestic waste produced by us in North Yorkshire and York, about 250,000 tonnes per year for 25 years from 2015. • It is estimated that about 80% of it will be burned to produce electricity and district heating. The facility will generate 28MW of electricity of which 24MW will be left over to be fed into the “grid” through underground cables to the Coneythorpe substation. Planning permission has not yet been granted, AmeyCespa submitted the application at the beginning of September this year and, after validation by planning officers, it has only just become available to the public. (Go to www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17992 to see the full application). After the initial plans were published, the company has spent a year in public consultation with numerous exhibitions and meetings. As a result of these the following amendments have been made to the plans: • The chimney height has been lowered by 10 metres. • Changes have been made to the building design. • The incinerator bottom ash processing facility has been incorporated into the main plant to avoid traffic crossing a bridleway. • Improvements to the access from the A168 have been made. • A visitor centre has been designed using adjacent, existing farm buildings. The North Yorkshire Waste Action Group (NYWAG) has been set up by local residents and parish councils to argue the case against this development. They have put together 8 points which they believe show the plan to be a poor one. I have listed these points and put AmeyCespa’s counter arguments next to them. These have been gleaned from AmeyCespa’s web site, the planning application and correspondence. 4 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 21 December 2011 NYWAG says... AmeyCespa says... 1. The incinerator will cause harm to the The plant’s emissions will be constantly environment through its emissions monitored and published daily on AmeyCespa’s web site. The emissions will be within the Environment Agency’s limits. 2. The plant is too big. It is designed to burn The over-capacity can be explained by the 320,000 tonnes pa. North Yorkshire currently plant also handling waste from shops, small produces about 250,000 tonnes pa of businesses, offices and restaurants. This domestic waste and, with improved recycling, amounts to hundreds of thousands of tonnes this should decline. pa and it all currently goes to landfill. The plant will only be able to handle a fraction of this. 3. The Government Waste Review says that Only materials that cannot be recycled in an incineration of waste has a place, but only for economical or environmentally sustainable residual waste that cannot be recycled. The way will be used in the energy from waste plant will be burning potentially facility and even these will produce recycleable material. construction aggregates from the bottom ash. 4. The plant will have a huge visual impact on The Commission for Architecture and the the local area. Built Environment thinks “the plant responds well to its setting.” 5. The case for a single large site like Allerton Allerton is close to the main road networks Park has not been made. Waste from as far and close to the major waste producers of the away as Scarborough and Skipton will travel area. Utilising the variety of waste by road to Allerton. There is no sizeable technologies on one site presents a cost population centre nearby to make use of the effective solution to waste management.