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Firm threatens to quit town
A MAJOR Chesterfield employer has threatened to pull out of the town if plans to build an energy-producing waste management plant gets the go-ahead.
Manufacturing giant Fusion Group Holdings – which employs 400 people at its Chesterfield Trading Estate base – has said it will consider relocating because of health fears for its staff if proposals for the 35m Sheepbridge Resource Park gasification plant are granted planning permission.
Bosses from Cyclamax, the company behind the proposals, claim that the plant will produce enough renewable energy to power 16,000 homes by using a process called gasification to convert commercial and industrial waste into electricity.
But health fears for its employees over toxic emissions potentially released during the process could result in Fusion moving away, as the company has stated in a formal letter of objection to Derbyshire County Council.
Eric Bridgstock, chairman, said: "It's not a resource park, it's an incinerator that will burn dangerous products and spread toxic products of combustion in the surrounding area.
"Given a choice to go somewhere where there aren't these things in the air, you would go there, wouldn't you?"
Other concerned residents and business owners are also stepping up their campaign against plans and Derbyshire County Council has received more than 1,000 letters of objection.
Action group Businesses and Residents Opposing Waste Gasification is raising awareness about the resource park. It has analysed the Environmental Impact Assessment for the development and produced a summarised version for residents which questions the ability of the plant to produce enough electricity to power 16,000 homes and the suitability of the site and pollutants.
A spokesman for the protest group said: "People definitely have fears about emissions, that's the major concern with a new, untested process."
But Cyclamax bosses said they were confident that the plant, which would be built on the former Cammac Coal site on Dunston Road in Dunston, would be able to power 16,000 homes and said it would be subject to strict laws regarding emissions.
They added that it was believed the site selection was justified after assessing a number of factors.
Tony Watkins, managing director of Cyclamax, said: "We have, from the outset, tried to ensure the residents of the area had access to as much information regarding the proposals as possible so they can make an informed judgement on how they feel about the proposals.
"We have justified why we feel this development is necessary in terms of need, how the environment will be protected and what safeguards there are in place, together with why we think this is an appropriate location.
"It is then for the county council to come to an informed decision on the application."
A date has not yet been set for the application to go before the County Council.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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