Rita Penman - 28-Feb-2008
- The Environment Agency has rejected claims
made by Taylor Wimpey on a recently published
leaflet, which falsely suggests that the
Environment Agency is working with Taylor
Wimpey to overcome the issue of flood risk
to the Western Growth corridor, or Swanpool.
Taylor Wimpey has issued
proposals to develop 5030 houses in the
floodplain on land between the Fossdyke
canal and Skellingthorpe Road – known locally
as Swanpool. The leaflet, and a public exhibition
today in Lincoln, has been designed to drum
up support for the company’s development
plans, which would see thousands of homes
built on land which is liable to flooding.
In a statement issued
today, Andy Baxendale, Northern Area Manager
for the Environment Agency said: 'We will
be seeking an explanation and retraction
for these statements which we believe are
designed to mislead the public on this matter.
'We continue to maintain
a robust objection to development in the
floodplain at this site, especially as there
are clear and available alternative sites
to realise Lincoln’s growth potential.
'The Environment Agency
continues to be guided by government policy
on this matter, and that policy makes it
clear that the best way of reducing flood
risk is to avoid building in areas at high
risk in the first place.
'Our position is wholly
in line with the recently published independent
Panel Report on development in Lincoln,
led by a highly respected Planning Inspector,
which concluded that the site is not suitable
for development because of flood risks to
the site. This report recommended alternative
sites for development in Lincoln which were
not at flood risk, which meet the criteria
of being sustainable and which importantly
would enable Lincoln to flourish and grow
into the future.'
+ More
Pollution costs Newcastle
firm £16,000
Rob Walsh - 29-Feb-2008
- A Newcastle company was today fined £15,000
at Newcastle Upon Tyne Magistrates Court
for a pollution offence at Dewley Burn.
Ibstock Brick, whose
registered address is Leicester Road, Ibstock,
Leicestershire, LE67 6HS, and who trade
at Throckley Industrial Estate, Ponteland
Road, Throckley, Newcastle Upon Tyne, were
also ordered to pay full costs of £1,382.24,
which brought the case.
Paul Harley, prosecuting
for the Environment Agency, told the court
that, following reports of pollution at
Dewley Burn, an Environment Agency officer
attended the site on 26 February 2007.
He discovered that the
watercourse was heavily polluted with clay
slurry for several hundred metres downstream
of a culvert which emerged from below Ibstock
Brick’s work.
On the same day the
officer met with Ibstock’s factory manager
Paul Davison to inspect the company’s site.
The pollution was found to be coming from
an onsite chamber linked by a pipe to the
culvert. It was stated that the company
had previously blocked the pipe with a bung
which was now missing.
The court was told that
the pollution had a major impact on the
ecology of the watercourse and had greatly
reduced the number and type of wildlife.
Ibstock Brick had two
previous convictions for polluting watercourses
at the same site, both of which occurred
within a month. In November 2003 they pleaded
guilty to permitting diesel fuel to enter
controlled watercourses and were fined £10,000.
On the same day they were also fined £5,000
for permitting clay silt to enter controlled
waters.
The court was told that
the defendants were aware of the potential
for further similar incidents and yet had
no system of regular inspections of the
problem area.
The magistrates said
that Ibstock were aware of the potential
problems, that they were a very large company
and had a responsibility to the environment
at their site. The pollution readings were
very high and the company’s two previous
convictions had happened within a short
period of time. It was a very serious matter
and consequently the £15,000 fine
was at an appropriate level.
In mitigation it was
said that the company had not acted deliberately
and had since taken steps to put the problem
right. They had co-operated with the Environment
Agency and put in an early guilty plea.
Neil Affleck of the
Environment Agency said: “We’re very pleased
with the outcome of the investigation. This
is the third time this company has been
prosecuted for similar offences and I hope
that this will act as a reminder to them,
and to other companies, the seriousness
of polluting our environment. It also enforces
the importance of good practice on site
and the awareness of the potential damage
to the environment that site operations
may have.”
