Planning permission has been granted by The Scottish Government for an Energy from Waste plant in the Whitehill area of Hamilton. Referred to locally as the incinerator, this development was rejected by South Lanarkshire Council in May 2014 and is strongly opposed by the local communities, particularly Hamilton, Bothwell and Blantyre.
The decision was reversed by The Scottish Government in August 2015. Local residents understand the need to reduce and recycle waste, however, feel aggrieved that Scottish Government policy does not adequately safeguard residential amenity. In our local case, a 250 metre buffer zone between residential accommodation and EfW plants, which the Scottish Government recommends, was dismissed as being ‘guidance.’
Local communities across Scotland know what’s best for their areas and will play an active role in the planning process if they feel valued and listened to. Nicola Sturgeon the First Minister has recently announced a comprehensive review of the planning system. This is a good time to ask the Scottish Government to revisit its policies on EfW to ensure communities are afforded maximum protection. I care about this issue as it has caused a lot of distress in my community and unless it’s addressed, other communities will face the same.
You can sign the petition here https://www.change.org/p/the-scottish-government-tackle-waste-without-wasting-lives-revise-scottish-planning-policy-on-energy-from-waste?recruiter=26156355&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
