NIMBY-ism at its best.

Ms Blears is backing the campaign. Not wanting to be cynical but is she trying to win a few voters over after her recent behavior regarding expenses?

I also like the comment "We fear for health, traffic and the effect on house prices". I bet the latter part of the statement is far more applicable than what most care about health and traffic?

I don’t often agree with 'Laura Norder' but NIMBY-ism is rearing its ugly head here!

This is sure to fail if Hazel Blears is backing it.Everything she supports fails.

Interesting. I didn’t observe accusations of “Nimbyism” during the recent campaigning against the racecourse that Peel had proposed on the Worsley fringe. One might have expected NIMBY-like labelling to have been more appropriate to that campaign.

Those actually familiar with the site of the proposed waste processing centre on Green Lane, and the surrounding areas of Monton, Patricroft, Worsley and Eccles will appreciate that the area has a very significant industrial history – history being, perhaps, the key word. Many will acknowledge that when established in the nineteenth century, the Patricroft area lent itself very well to industrial. In the early 21st century, however, the area is adjoined mostly by residential properties, primarily serving working families and few, if any (ok, none), of the area's properties in the immediate vicinity would be considered grandiose luxury affairs.

It is worth noting that the effect of transporting waste is also likely to be felt by those resident in Worsley, Ellesmere Park and Monton, Winton, Peel Green, Barton, Eccles Town Centre - any of the surrounding areas where there are major road and motorway junctions. It won't just be those resident around Green Lane who are effected.

With the canal-front potential and Salford City Council’s (and the UK Government’s) Strategic requirement to create more residential dwellings, this site is, quite frankly, screaming out for a residential development (as is the one on the other side of Green Lane).

I appreciate that the site was formerly used for industrial purposes in a formerly (long-gone) industrial area, however, times change and it is time to move with them! I appreciate the economic opportunity that a waste processing operation would bring to Salford and the surrounding region, however, there are other more suitable locations for such sites available in currently industrial areas of the city.

[ unless Didsbury wants to nominate itself, eh, LauraNorder? ;-) ]

I also appreciate that there isn’t the access to capital for residential development that there once was, however, it will be a missed opportunity to not develop residential property here, and not to develop the waste processing centre in one of Salford’s many other vacant brown-field sites on the outskirts of the City. It’s a shame there isn’t a former industrial site alongside the Manchester Ship Canal, perhaps in Barton, where a new port could be built to facilitate transportation. Oh, hang on a minute…

So I say well done to Mr El-Qasem and his fellow campaigners. Bring this issue to people's attention by all means but if you really want to garner influential support remember it's "not just in your backyard".

Mr Sherwood instead of worrying about our greed for house prices perhaps you could help me find suitable land for my fleet of trucks ,,don't want to be travelling far to my new freight terminal.....especially with the price of diesel ..i know a new truck stop up there in the moss will help

Hey look at the HUGELY unpopular M.P. showing her support for a campaign where they will be NO opposition. Sad how a community action group is used as nothing more than a pawn by a skilled politician to try and curry favour in the local community. If you don’t believe Hazel is manipulating the group answer me this. Why is Hazel standing so prominently in front of the group? To make you subconsciously think, that’s the leader and they are her troops. Why do you think the manager sits in the middle of team photos? Because he is the boss.

Paul Ridge, Have you got the posting mixed up and replied to the wrong person in your hurry to post.

Accusations of NIMBYism are wide of the mark here. Ask around in Monton and by far the greatest concern that people have is the effect of pollution on health and the environment. Of course, people also have worries about the value of their property, but this is massively overshadowed by health. To suggest that residents value their financial assets over their families somewhat insulting and narrow minded.

The company who will build and run the plant, Energos, claim their technology is perfectly safe and even suggest it is ‘green’. The fact of the matter is gasification technology is actually far less efficient than traditional incinerators.

Energos are currently attempting to establish their plants in the UK. They have been granted preliminary permission to build a plant in Knowsley but this is now going to appeal. A notable opponent of the Knowsley site is Lord Derby, owner of the nearby safari park. In December, another proposed plant in Derby was refused planning permission on environmental and traffic grounds. Energos currently have only one operational UK plant, which opened on the Isle of Wight last summer. The plant has been dogged by technical difficulties and the MD of Energos, Nick Dawber, described the plant only a couple of months ago as a “pig’s ear”. The Green Lane site would be just 50 metres from residential housing and a children’s play park. At a recent meeting with Energos executives, when they were asked “Would you live next door to one of these?” they refused to answer. We can only assume that as they did not say ‘yes’, they must have meant ‘no’.

I wouldn’t expect people to take my word for it. So for further information on this I would urge people to Google for both Energos and the previous name of the company, Contract Heat and Power. In 2001 it was widely reported in the national press that CH&P were prosecuted for their part in a toxic waste dumping scandal in Newcastle.

If anyone thinks the above could constitute slander, all the information is publicly available. Referenece for all can be provided. Indeed, much of it has come directly from Energos themselves.

LauraNorder, as a one time resident who has family living there, I am well aware of Didsbury residents’ views on what goes on in their own back yard. We both know what the reaction would be if one of these plants were proposed on Barlow Moor Road, or behind the university halls on Wilmslow Road, for example. An internationally renowned opponent of waste incineration is Paul Connett, Professor of Chemistry at St. Lawrence University in New York. He recently presented a talk to the United Nations on the dangers of incineration and has twice spoken in Derby against the proposal there. Now you couldn’t call him a NIMBY, could you? A paper written by Professor Connett is at http://www.cank.org.uk/connett1.html.

For further information on SAY NO TO GREEN LANE INCINERATOR please visit www.greenlaneecodump.org. A link to the Facebook group can be found there along with an online petition. The Facebook group currently has 1,200 members, who are all saying ‘no’.

Finally, for real sustainability we as a nation need to use less, recycle more and design waste out. We should not burn it in dirty incinerators. Not in anyone’s back yard.

PS Anthony, Matthew Sephton has been invited to all meetings held by the opposition group, yet has not turned up for the last two. Had he been there on Saturday, we would have welcomed a cross party shot. This is not a party political issue.

Colin, I am completely in support of the campaign against the Green Lane incinerator. I have, however, had no notifications of meetings, despite asking to be kept informed after the first meeting I attended.

Isn't it funny that, as Hazel Blears was in possession of the email list and attendance sheet from our first meeting, I have since received no notifications whatsoever? I wonder why?

Matthew, Now you're not being entirely truthful here are you? I can't comment about the last meeting but two before that - the campaign meeting on 23rd Jan and the Energos meeting on 25th Jan you were invited to. You and I had an email conversation about it in the days preceding. After two no-shows, what do you really expect? I have re-sent you the email in case you mislaid it.
Again, we welcome your support but "actions speak louder than words" so I expect to see you at the next meeting. In the meantime, I'd suggest to you a little dignity might be the way forward. It has not escaped my attention that you chose to raise this here, and only after posting your comment did you contact me directly.