The campaign group Protect Our Keynsham Environment (POKE) are appealing for more financial support to oppose plans for an industrial-sized power plant on the outskirts of the town.
At yesterday’s eco festival in Keynsham POKE’s spokesperson Kerry Morgan dressed as a life-sized green washing machine to highlight why POKE believe the waste-to-power proposals are a case of “greenwashing”.
Bath & North East Somerset Council is due to make a decision soon on the planning application for the old Queen Charlton quarry site in Charlton Field Lane and POKE are employing professional help as they try to persuade the council that the power plant is an ill-conceived development in the Green Belt that instead of being environmentally friendly will damage Keynsham and the wider area.
The previous unfinished anaerobic digester (AD) plant at the site closed in October 2017 when administrators were appointed. Resourceful Earth Anaerobic Ltd (REAL) now wants to increase capacity from the previously approved 25,000 tonnes of organic material per annum at the site to 92,000 tonnes. The AD facility would produce gas and electricity for local grid networks and the company proposes to restore ecology in the old quarry.
We have previously reported on concerns raised by local councillors, the countryside charity CPRE and B&NES Council’s own highways officer over the traffic impact.
Kerry Morgan said: “We need to say ‘no’ to this proposed industrial power plant pretending to be green which we believe will not reduce our carbon footprint at a time of climate emergency. We also need to say ‘no’ to more air, noise and traffic pollution and prevent road gridlock. With this massive power plant being just upwind of Keynsham, we also need to say no to the stink that will force us to live indoors.”
She said: “With just weeks to go, further funds are needed by POKE to finance the professional help necessary to defeat this hugely damaging industrial-sized power plant that will impact on every Keynsham area home.
“People in and around Keynsham have already given POKE tremendous support. I ask them to please dig into their pockets once again during these final stages of this important fight to protect our community and local environment.”
Find out more about POKE’s campaign at https://protectourkeynshamenvironment.wordpress.com/
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