SPILLING THE BEANS

ABOUT THE RUGBY MALPASS : BEING THE PREFERRED LOCATION FOR A 400,000 TONNES MBT/RDF PLANT!

The "spilling of the beans" has not been greeted with great joy by CEMEX, and by Warwickshire County Council, as plans now focus on Rugby as a Rubbish Dump, even though the Scoping Plan has been issued for the disused Southam Cemex cement works. No planning application has yet been made, for either site, but residents are being asked for an opinion on what the Environmental Impact Assessment should contain. However, as all the burnable waste - aka Climafuel - has to be transported by road to Rugby then maybe it would be better to bring all 400,000 tonnes of household, commercial and industrial waste here in the first place, rather than destroying yet another area of Warwickshire? At least that would save "juggernaut-miles", and public money in exposing the county roads to more destruction. Or would it - as Rugby is hardly the centre of Warwickshire it is? Of course some wastes would still have to be exported from Rugby again.

The Scoping assessment says "The facility will be designed to produce 240,000 tonnes of Climafuel, from 240,000 tonnes per annum of Municipal Solid Waste, and from 125,000 tpa imported SRF type materials or Climafuel from other MBT facilities - sourced locally, or nationally. There will be a Blending House and a Reception and Process Building, containing MBT and MHT equipment.

TRAFFIC.
Strangely this is the smallest section of the scoping report! "An assessment should only be undertaken if the development causes a greater than 10% increase in the two way traffic flow, adjacent to the site access, during the typical weekday AM and PM road network peak hours." "This is in line with the IHT guidelines for Transport Impact Assessment." So that is easily controlled - they can hide outside, or inside, the works, till the rush hour is over! And what ever you do, make no mention of the "SENSITIVE LORRY MILES" required to get to the site! Never having had any environmental assessment at Rugby, nor any lawful planning permission, nor lawful operating permit,nor any proper public consultation they now intend to "build on that foundation". Look out RUGBY!

RAILWAY NEW BILTON SIDING.
The jury is still out. Who knew what, and when? Who told who what, and why ,and when? RBC remain in "denial" as the local plan and searches had, they claim, not revealed the presence of a fully operational railway - that has been working since last century - from Rugby station to New Bilton. But their committee reports, and those of WCC tell a different tale. As does their correspondence with Network Rail and Railtrack. The REDROW land was highly contaminated landfill and for that reason is sold for a pittance: 4.5 hectares for £1,250,000 so the story goes, due to the very high costs of site remedy! Were the houses and flats able to sell at a higher price without the potential purchasers knowing there was an active freight line under their very windows? Who was responsible for telling them?

RCCF: REFRESHED!
Protesters are to be "controlled and marginalised, and even excluded" by an army of Cemex placard-waving supporters, who wish to get relations back onto a more friendly and "constructive footing". This may have the "welcome effect" of attracting the Agency back to the table in Rugby, where it has abandoned the residents to their fate. In 2008 a new Constitution, a new Mission Statement, a Fresh Start, and Positive Community Engagement with new, not-so-disgruntled members at the RUGBY CEMEX CO-INCINERATOR FORUM?

Sounds too good to be true? Rugby residents would also love a fresh start, a clean sheet, a new beginning, fresh air, and a town without the ominous plume and giant industrial behemoth looming over us all! Come on Santa we know you can do it!