Right project but wrong location for Biomass plant? (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Right project but wrong location for Biomass plant?

3:13pm Thursday 8th March 2007 in Letters

REGARDING the piece in the Advertiser about the proposed Biomass Fuel Power Project to be sited at the Tenbury Industrial Estate, having read the available information may I share a few of my thoughts.

First, I believe that this exploitation of natural renewable fuel is an excellent idea. It is not the answer to the coming national energy crunch, but it is an extremely useful technology, which should be exploited.

Second, located as we are at the end of electricity grid lines, such local generation will bolster our security of supply. I just hope that the rate of wood fuel replacement can keep up with the rate of consumption of the plant.

I understand that the plant's electricity output will be fed direct to the Burford sub-station via underground lines. Disregarding the extremely high cost of buried lines, one wonders how and where the cables will first cross the river and then cross the A456 to get to the sub-station.

I do recognize the quirks of the funding and planning systems, which support such projects, but surely the right location is in the Burford Industrial Estate, adjacent to the sub-station?

This would save much cost of burying the cables, routing over obstacles, transmission losses and future planning restrictions around Tenbury to avoid building on or close to the cable route.

Turning to the fuel supply system, I understand that the requirement is for 4x40 tonne lorry loads per day, which works out to eight trips. I have been told to consider this as two lorries coming over the bridge and returning and two coming and returning from the Bromyard direction, but this cannot be guaranteed, so at times they may all be coming over the bridge and through town.

I do not think I need dwell on what 40 tonne lorries through town will do to traffic.

The proposition was made that the lorries could travel at night. The case was supported by the claim that noise measurements had been made and it was found that the dawn chorus was louder than the lorries.

Apart from the other factors, account should be taken of the necessity to come down Bromyard Road past the entrance to the primary school. This means that the trips must be synchronized not to coincide with school opening and closing times since for a considerable period about these times the road is strictly single lane, unless parking is banned.

The road is already congested at these times and runs on a voluntary commonsense one-way system.

I like and support the concept and the benefits that flow from it, but I think we should take a little time to consider the pluses. Is it in the right place?

Bob Martin, Newlands, Mount Pleasant, Tenbury Wells