Lewis Melville, Stop the Simonswood Incinerator Campaign
Since plans were announced to build a medical incinerator by West Lancashire council in January 2022, the “Stop the Simonswood Incinerator Campaign” has seen overwhelming support from local residents. The campaign continued to build momentum in the months leading up to the final decision by the West Lancashire Development Control Committee, on the 7 December 2022, which approved the plans by a small margin.
Over 1,400 local residents had raised objection to the scheme, with a further 3,500 wider community members, citing that the proposal goes against World Health Organization standards. A similar site in Oldham saw an increase of 12% in cases of lung cancer in neighbouring areas.
There is currently 68,000 tons of unused capacity in neighbouring facilities, there is no need for such a medical incinerator to be built.
The current proposal shows that the incinerator will exceed the maximum advisory limit of PM2.5 (fine particle) emissions.
If the incinerator’s construction goes through, it will have adverse effects for generations in the surrounding areas.
Socialist Party member Neill Dunne, committee member of the “Stop the Simonswood Incinerator” campaign, explained his disgust at the methods in which the planning application was approved: “It’s really hard to accept when the committee consists of 12 members and, due to apologies, the vote went four to three in favour of approval with two abstentions. That’s the hardest bit to take. How could a county that has declared a climate emergency ignore all the medical and scientific evidence made available from our campaign?”
Neill continued: “Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has reported that 800 people die in Merseyside each year due to pollution alone. The effects of the incinerator will spread out in a circular radius of 8-10km. The increased cancer rates seen in Oldham would equate to a minimum of five extra deaths each year in the town of Kirkby alone – plus more in the other surrounding areas.”
“The campaign has had support from thousands of residents as well as organisations and trade union branches, including Unite and Unison branches, Save Oglett Shore, Frack Free Lancashire, Save Liverpool Womens Hospital, Save the Rimrose Valley ”
Neill commented on the hard work achieved by the campaign in the space of eleven months: “Residents held meetings in February and March, leafleted the worst affected areas, organised a march in the summer, lobbied the planning committee on its visit to the proposed site in September. This forced a deferral of the Lancashire committee.” It was only through the pressure of the campaign that the secretary of state intervened to force the meeting to be held with the campaign’s attendance and contributions guaranteed. The anti-incinerator campaign will continue to keep up the pressure and will now seek options for a judicial review going forward.
