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Bedford Mayor – ‘my objections to incinerator’

Bedford Borough Mayor, Dave Hodgson has repeated his objections to the incinerator at the Rookery South Pit near Stewartby during a Cranfield and Marston Vale Chronicle podcast.
 
During the recording, the Mayor highlights his concerns, such as the impact of hundreds of lorry movements a day will have on local air quality and quality of life.

The Mayor said that the lorry movements, which were approved by the planning permission could cause numerous problems for Marston Vale.

“There are some huge issues. I don’t think the Environment Agency got their head around the 600 lorry movements a day.

“If 5% of the lorries aren’t meeting emission standards that means there will be 30 lorry movements a day that are churning out fumes.”

He is concerned that the operator would not be able to guarantee that the lorries will be emissions compliant.

The council will be monitoring the lorries to ensure that drivers don’t park up around Marston Vale waiting for the incinerator to open. And then sit in queues with engines running waiting to enter the site.

“This isn’t acceptable, and we will do our utmost to see that this doesn’t happen.”

The Mayor said that the wished the Bedfordshire against Covanta Incinerator (BACI) well with their Judicial Review fundraising campaign.

What Bedford Borough Council does for residents

Dave Hodgson talks about his other Rookery South concerns on the podcast. He also talks about the Local Plan and the services Bedford Borough Council provides to the residents of Wootton and Stewartby.

In a second podcast, the Mayor reveals the question that caught him off-guard on his first day.