I should like to present a petition on behalf of my constituents in Dronfield. The petition is supported by more than 700 individual letters.

The petitioners request:

that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to do all in his power to oppose the building of this hazardous waste gasification and incineration plant and ensure that this proposed technology is not given permission to destroy a whole area of Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire.

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The Petition of residents of Dronfield, and others

Declares that a hazardous waste gasification/incineration plant is proposed to be built on the site of Sheepridge Business Park, only a few miles away from Dronfield; further declares that the technology proposed by the newly established company is untested and unproven; notes that there are no long term case studies on the health effects of these processes, while every day more and more evidence is coming to light of the harmful effects of airborne pollution from industry and traffic;

Believes that the site is too close to residents, with 19 schools and around 30,000 people living within just two miles of the proposed site; further notes that the site is in close proximity to many farms, livestock, fisheries and allotments, meaning there is a real danger of dioxins entering the local food chain; further notes that the site is bordered by greenbelt land and protected woodland, threatening the devastation of all the wildlife in the area and risking further contamination of the watercourses and food chain from the movement of wildlife in and around the site; further declares that the site is close to existing businesses that will move away, leading to hundreds of job losses and difficulties attracting any future investment;

Further notes that the waste, coming from a 30 mile radius, will need to travel past many schools, through small villages and country lanes to reach the proposed site; believes this is unsafe, unnecessary and unacceptable; further declares that residents have not been reassured by communications from Cyclamax, and do not trust the company to be running such a hazardous process; and considers that profit and money-making are being put before public health and safety.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to do all in his power to oppose the building of this hazardous waste gasification and incineration plant and ensure that this proposed technology is not given permission to destroy a whole area of Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire.

And the Petitioners remain, etc. ]

[P000406]