7th March 2010: Text of Draft Press Notice issued following the announcement of the decision to grant consent for the development:

STOP the INCINERATOR on Rivenhall Airfield
 
Wednesday 3rd March 2010
 
DECISION
 
The Inspector's Report and decision letter from the Secretary of State have been published, granting consent for the waste site on Rivenhall Airfield, subject to conditions.
 
This is obviously very bad news for all those who have campaigned against the plant for so many years.
 
However, the plant cannot be built and operated yet and the conditions attached to the consent are fairly tight and helpful to us locally in some respects.  There are 63 conditions in all, many of which have to be implemented before construction can start.
 
The decision papers contain over 150 pages comprising the Inspector's Report and the Secretary of State's letter.  The Inspector and the Secretary of State have limited vehicle movements to the 404 per day discussed at the Inquiry and restricted the stacks to be no more than one and no more than 35m high above ground level.
 
This makes it entirely plausible that if the developer wants to build and operate the plant as he has designed it, he will need to come back with further applications - he tried to argue for a higher stack at the Inquiry and the Environment Agency have strongly indicated that  35m is unlikely to be adequate.
 
The developer also needs to find the £ millions needed to build the plant, which would take many years of excavation and construction, and will need to apply to the Environment Agency for an Environmental Permit in order to release pollution - which is linked to the issue of the stack height.

So the developer now has 2 planning consents for the site and could build either of them - or apply again for something else!  There is no guarantee that a plant will be built.

Whatever the developer's course of action, local communities will be watching closely for future planning, licensing and environmental permit applications as well as for compliance with conditions and the terms of the s.106 Agreement.
 
We are very grateful for all the support from local residents and other groups before and during the Inquiry.  While permission has been granted several obligation covenants (s.106) have been made.  Some of these are very demanding of the developer and their scope has undoubtedly been in part a result of the concerns raised by local bodies, including ourselves.
 
The Community Group

The full decision letter can be downloaded here.  The Inspector's Report may be downloaded here.

 

11th November 2009:

Rivenhall Airfield Inquiry Formally Closed

Community Group thanks residents for their support but asks for further donations

Following a final exchange of documents, the Rivenhall Airfield Inquiry formally closed on 2nd November. The Inquiry opened on 29th September and sat at venues in Braintree and Rivenhall End until 14th October. The result is not expected until next year, with a deadline of 25th March.

The Community Group, which was formed to represent local community groups and residents at the Inquiry, attended every day and participated fully in the Inquiry. The Group retained the services of a barrister in order to best present its case of opposition to the proposed major waste site and incinerator, and also to be able to cross-examine the witnesses of the applicants.

The Community Group held regular meetings, distributed thousands of letters and leaflets raising awareness about the Inquiry, held an Airfield Walk and set up a local website to provide updates on the Inquiry.

Despite all this work, thanks to the great generosity of those who gave a lot of their time freely, the actual financial costs of the Group in presenting its case totaled less than £11,000, a fraction of the costs incurred by the other three Main Parties (Essex County Council, Braintree District Council and the applicants).

Local residents were very generous in their support through donations and by attending the Inquiry on every day it sat. However, despite raising the majority of its target funds, the Community Group is about £3,000 short and so still needs to fundraise. Any donations, small or large would be welcomed, to be sent to The Treasurer, Stop the Incinerator Community Group, The White House, Old Road, Surrex, Coggeshall, Colchester, CO6 1RS.

7th October: the inquiry is moving forward faster than we had expected.  As a result the Community Group evidence will be heard on Friday (9th) with one speaker who is anavailable on Friday on Tuesday (13th).  The inquiry will probably end on Wednesday.  IF YOU ARE ABLE TO ATTEND ON FRIDAY OR TUESDAY TO SUPPORT OUR PEOPLE THIS WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.

5th October 2009: The developer has introduced a large number of alterations and new information which was not part of the original application.  This has led to another public consultation and provides an opportunity for people to write to the Inspectorate in Bristol.  The attached note explains what is happening, where to write to send letters and emails.  Bear in mind there is a deadline of 14th October.  Click here.

5th October 2009: The Inquiry is currently taking place in Braintree but be aware that for the third week (Tuesday 13th October to Friday, 9.30am to 5.00pm except 2.00pm on Friday) it will move to the Courtyard Suite at the Rivenhall Hotel, Rivenhall End, Witham, CM8 3HB.

20th September 2009: Our WALK took place today at the Airfield.  About 60 people took part - including many children and dogs!  The weather cooperated and we listened as James Abbott explained the implications of the proposed development:

 

We discovered just how large the hangars are:

This is Woodhouse Farm:

Some of the photographic visualisations which we will show to the Inspector show the view from Woodhouse Farm which would follow the development.  For instance:

 

One of the many remaining original buildings - in some disrepair but entirely recognisable:

The Press were there and took pictures of the walkers - so check your local paper in a few days!

10th September 2009:  Yesterday's Braintree & Witham Times highlighted an article written by Nina Morgan on the £90,000 which Essex County Council is incurring to support their decision to approve the incinerator in spite of the fact that the people of Essex made their views known when invited to contribute to the public debate: 800 people wrote opposing the project and two were in favour.  If you do not have the paper - download a Word file here.

10th September 2009:   See our newsletter.  This includes further details on the Inquiry (definitely starting on Tuesday 29th September at 10am - Venue: The Institute, Bocking End, Braintree).  Also, some information on the financing of our campaign and details of the walk on Sunday 20th September, meeting at 3pm.  Click here for a Word format document. (Page two is a poster which can be printed and displayed.)

21st August 2009:  We are organising a walk round the airfield.   This will take place on Sunday 20th September and start at 3pm.  This will be a walk for all the family and will take (we think) about two hours.  Dogs on leads welcome.  Here is the poster - which can be printed and displayed if you like.  Click here.  In addition click for a Google based downloadable map showing Woodhouse Lane (marked "A") from which the Polish Camp, where we are meeting, will be signed.

21st August 2009:  Date of the Inquiry commencement looks to be Tuesday 29th September.  10am.  The process will then run from Tuesday to Friday of that week plus the next two weeks.  It should therefore finish on October 16th.

30th July 2009:  Government has confirmed that the upgrade of the A120 has been dropped due to cost.  This is very bad news for those of us who use this highly stressed road.  It means that it is more imperative than ever to stop the Incinerator scheme with its 404 traffic movements per day.