The Swansea Planning Committee decided against Biffa’s planning proposal of a new waste incinerator in Llansamlet today.
The plans were rejected unanimously by the Council, who now have the task of finding alternative disposal for the 21,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste, currently going to landfill in Merhyr Tydfil, that the incinerator was going to burn.
The LLansamlet Residents Against Biffa Incinerator Facebook Group was created on 4th July 2018, and has 764 members today.
Quite a crowd entered the chamber today for the planning meeting, including a number of pupils, from Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Lon Las and also from Trallwn Primary school. Pupils from both schools addressed the Planning Committee.
Some year five and six pupils reported being concerned for friends with asthma, as well as feeling that such waste disposal units should be cited further from human population. The children had been integrally involved in the campaign, with the matter being raised at School Council and practise letters being written, before formally writing to the Council.
Today’s win must be a particularly sweet victory for these young activists. Their actions were previously reported in the The Planning Committee Report of 2nd April as:
Pupils from Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Lon Las protest outside the Guildhall.
“Objections have been submitted by staff and pupils at Ysgol Gymraeg Lon Las on the ground of increased traffic, noise, health impacts and impacts on the wildlife within the nature reserve. These concerns are duly noted, however, [ …] the applicant has provided evidence to demonstrate that it is not considered that the proposed development would conflict with Article 3 (best interests of the child)….”
Dr Geraint Havard had five minutes to speak for residents at the meeting.
The 2nd April report also conceded:
“Objectors are concerned that the proposal would generate significant amounts of CO2 and this is a valid concern.”
The Committee nevertheless recommended acceptance of the planning application in April.
But then both the Welsh and UK Governments declared a Climate Emergency, which made the “valid concern” of local residents that “the proposal would generate significant amounts of CO2”, harder to overlook.
Then the Climate Change Commission published its report that we must phase out greenhouse gas emissions entirely by 2050.
Misleading headline from the BBC on Llansamlet protest
Following all that, at the Swansea Extinction Rebellion meeting on Thursday last week, it was decided to offer very belated support to the community group.
So it was that intrepid rebels blocked the entrance to the Biffa’s Swansea Depot this morning. They symbolically set fire to the climate emergency declarations, and several also joined the protest before the meeting at the Guildhall.
The protest at Biffa’s depot may very well have contributed to the positive outcome of no waste incinerator in Llansemlet. I suppose you could argue that Extinction Rebellion have nudged both Governments into making declarations of climate emergency as well.
Does any of that really justify this extraordinary headline from the BBC: “Waste incinerator rejected after Extinction Rebellion protest“?
Biffa are considering their position.
Climate Change Comission, Climate Emergency, Dr Geraint Havard, featured, Llansamlet residents against Biffa incinerator, Swansea Council
I don’t think Swansea XR wish to claim any credit on the fantastic victory for the campaign of local residents. I’m sure XR are just glad to have played any part in the campaign and will continue to do so if Biffa try again. Well done Llansamlet Resident against Biffa Incinerator – an outstanding victory.
If this article is trying to discredit the efforts of Extinction Rebellion then the writer does not understand the impact this group had on the campaign.
As one of the local residents, I was glad to have the input and action from this newly formed group. XR has only been in existence for six months and the national group have already had a direct impact on political policy of both the Westminster government and both devolved administrations in the U.K. These new policies forced the leader of our council to announce in the meeting that he will be announcing new policies on climate change within the next two weeks.
It is true to say that everyone had an impact on this result, but we as residents are pleased to announce that we have had a promise from Extinction Rebellion that if an appeal is lodged against the decision, then the national group will get involved to help put this matter to bed.
A nice angle on the whole matter, well done for picking up on the input from the children, the ones whose lives will be impacted the most.
Well done too for mentioning the faintly ridiculous headline from the BBC, twisting everything around and making it all seem irrelevant.
I was there as an XR protestor, we were invited, as you point out, by the residents action group to help highlight the issue in any ways they had been unable to and to bring support.
It seemed to work wonderfully, to have been on a protest in the early morning and then see the fight won in the afternoon, was a truly splendid feeling, it was an honour to have been involved, the comments from the children and the council officials, who unanimously rejected tue plan, were incredibly humbling.
Thanks for your comment. Observing media bias or inaccuracy isn’t trying to discredit anyone. If only journalism always did that! The points you make are all in the article, which seeks balance, and to credit the young people who will inherit our screw-ups.
We are Alan thanks, and we will. My question re the BBC was about the BBC, not about XR.
About a week after this Council decision I was chatting with someone who isn’t involved with anything mentioned in this article and I referred to Extinction Rebellion.
“Oh yeah, didn’t they stop an incinerator recently?” she immediately said.
This is why the completely inaccurate BBC headline matters. That is not journalism but propaganda, as now that’s the impression people get who only read that headline, as she obviously did.