Help! Waste Incinerator in my (new) backyard?

[vicdubya]

Just talk me through this someone please, I am going mad!

DH is on job relocation.

Just returned from mad weekend of solid househunting with 13 month old (fun!) and have seen a couple of houses we like.

Only then do we find out a massive waste incinerator is being built just up the road (if you live in the Maidstone area this may ring a bell with you - any thoughts from locals appreciated).

I can't find anything much on the web apart from completely damning stuff...so why are they letting it go ahead?

And what do we do? As far as I can see, if there is a risk, it exists up to 7.5 km from the incinerator site which would cover the whole of the area we have been looking in.

Obviously there are hundreds of thousands of people living in that area - some of you may be reading this....

but...we don;t live there - yet.

Do we...

a) take no notice and buy the house we like which is only a mile away from the site
b) buy a house in another area which is still within the 7.5 km radius but further away
c) steer clear completely

TBH I am not much bothered about the risks for me & dh, we have both smoked in the past and taken other risks and lived a good part of our lives already but what about ds?

Can't you buy a house say ten km away? If your DH drives its not a huge journey to travel. I wouldn't be to keen on living near it thats for sure.

Ooooh, where were you looking? I'm in Maidstone and I know exactly what you're talking about.

The reason it is going ahead is that KCC (Kent County Council) have already signed an agreement with the incinerator company for them to dispose of millions of tonnes of rubbish and, guess what, KCC decide on whether the incinerator should get planning permission. Bl**dy stitch up.

Anyway, my gut feeling is that the nearer to the incinerator, the better off you are, as, should there be any fall out (which they assure us there won't), it's unlikely to drop next to the incinerator, but will be carried further away on the wind - Medway are sh*t scared as they are in a valley which acts like a wind tunnel.

How far have they got with the building? Has it actually started yet?

We have successfully (so far) fought our local council and had the plans for an incinerator turned down. The council had signed a 25 year contract with the waste disposal company, which included the incinerator, before planning permission had even been given. Pray tell which council anywhere is in power for 25 years and has the right to do that?

Unless it is a very high tech incinerator (I can dig out details if you want) then they will put dioxins, amongst other nasty crap, into the air.

As locals you should fight it all the way.

Hi. I live in Sheffield and must confess that I'm terribly ignorant about the incinerator that is RIGHT in the middle of town and is being extended MASSIVELY right now.

Friends of the Earth ran a campaign against the incinerator and would be a good source of reliable information I should think.

I believe that the worst effects of the smoke/dioxins (?) are downwind (east) of the incinerator. Might be worth looking upwind of the incinerator.

How can you say the fallout is east of the incinerator? Surely 'downwind' depends on which way the wind is blowing!

The prevailing wind is from the west. Not all the time, but Friends of the Earth work in Sheffield found that the worst effects typically were to the east of the incinerator.

(My kitchen window faces north-west and the weather/clouds nearly always come from the west...)

Yes it's very confusing all this prevailing wind stuff.

Freckle, we were looking in Allington where the incinerator is actually located, but have been told because the prevailing wind is away from Allington, that in fact it would be OK, but I just don;t think I could bear to have ds in school less than a mile from this bloody great thing.

Considering other areas in Maidstone but really do need to be north of the town with M20 access as dh has to get up to Gillingham.

We lived in Allington until a couple of years ago, but we've only moved about a mile down the road. We've known about the incinerator for years, but I wouldn't go so far as to move completely out of the area. Part of me wants to believe that it wouldn't be allowed so close to a major conurbation if there were even the slightest chance of toxic emissions, and part of me doesn't trust the sods one inch. Bet none of the directors (or the councillors responsible for allowing the thing) live within miles of the place.

If you want to know about any local areas, just ask and I'll tell you what I know. One thing is the schools in Allington are all very good, both primary and secondary.