"Large waste incinerators discourage re-use, recycling and composting"
Buckinghamshire Residents Against INcineratorS
Welcome to the BRAINS website. BRAINS is dedicated to fighting Bucks County Council’s plans to develop two massive waste incinerators, one of which would be located in south Bucks, at either Wapseys Wood (Gerrards Cross) or Springfield Farm (Beaconsfield).
BCC completed a public consultation period on their Minerals and Waste Core Strategy in April 2008. The BRAINS campaign directly resulted in over 2000 people sending in their objections to the Council’s plans. The next stage in the planning process will be for BCC to submit the MWCS to the Secretary of State. This was due in September 2008 but has now been delay until July 2009 This will be followed by an Examination in Public by an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State in January 2010. Meanwhile BCC are pressing ahead with the purchasing process for one incinerator for municipal waste – the key decision that they refuse to consult the electorate on. Their intention is to finalise a contract in February 2009.
On 5th August BCC announced that it intended to proceed with a municpal waste processing incinerator based in the north of the county (or at an out-of-county site) rather than at Wapseys Wood or Springfield Farm. This will be a great relief to the residents of Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross and the surrounding villages. However, according to Bucks County Council’s statement, Wapseys Wood (and presumably Springfield Farm as its reserve site) is still regarded as a prime candidate for a Strategic Waste Complex (SWC). The Council’s own definition of an SWC is “ a site suitable for major waste management facilities”. So the Council’s statement does not rule out a commercially sponsored incinerator at Wapseys Wood, in fact it weights the likelihood towards Wapseys Wood for a commercial waste inciinerator. We have asked the Council for clarification of its statement. Click here to download a summary of our letter to BCC and their response
We remain deeply concerned that BCC is intent on adopting incineration as its preferred waste disposal process. It is a technology that is inflexible, costly and polluting and is far from the best option to deal with Buckinghamshire's waste.
Over the next few months BRAINS will continue fighting to halt the Waste Procurement Project and will be preparing a detailed case against the Minerals and Waste Core Strategy to eventually take to the Examination in Public. We are confident that we can succeed on both fronts. We will redouble our efforts to publicise the case against BCC’s plans both locally and nationally and we will be developing proposals to show that Buckinghamshire’s waste disposal needs can be satisfied by smaller scale, more environmentally friendly methods that can be sited closer to where the waste originates.
All of this unfortunately requires funding. In particular we now need to get expert legal and planning advice and may need to take High Court action. The BRAINS team are fighting to preserve the pleasant south Bucks environment for the benefit of all residents. Please support us by clicking on the ‘Sign Up’ tag on the menu above, downloading a Mandate Form, which mandates BRAINS to speak on your behalf on this issue, and sending it in to us, with a donation to our fighting fund if at all possible.
Thank you for your support,
Peter Brogden Chairman, BRAINS
Click here to read the BCC proposals
Click here to sign the ePetition
BCC PUBLIC CONSULTATION FINISHED ON 25th April
Click here to watch video of BRAINS 16th April Meeting on the case against BCC's Waste Plans
The following are response forms which BRAINS have prepared and submitted.
A. Click here to download response on BCC Business Case
B. Click here to download response on Technology
C. Click here to download response on Health
D. Click here to download response on Imports of Waste
E. Click here to download response on Green Belt
F. Click here to download response on Statement of Community Involvement
G. Click here to download response on Springfield Farm as a Reserve Site
H. Click here to download response on EU Pollution Requirements