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Protestors will today be attending at the Court of Session in Edinburgh to protest against approval of a proposed pyrolysis plant to be built in Carnbroe.
The battle has been going in for some time now. Permission for the development was granted on appeal but attracted 6,000 objections from local residents concerned about the impact the plant will have on health, A8 traffic and the landscape.
The local authority's planning committee agreed and threw out the proposal in March 2010; however, after a week-long public inquiry in February 2011 disagreed and gave permission for the waste material recovery and renewable energy facility.
Monklands Residents Against Pyrolysis Plant have been actively campaigning against the plant for some time now. MRAPP are attending at the Court of Session today and tomorrow to put their objections to the Court. Visit http://www.mrapp.org.uk/ for more information.
Maggie Proctor of MRAPP said "Our day in Court has finally arrived! We have enormous widespread support for the continued fight against the Simon Howie incinerator being built in Monklands. We hope you will be able to attend on both or either of the days. We have achieved much over the last two years and we thank everyone for all their efforts, I would urge anyone who can come along next week to please be there to show your support for our campaign and YOUR community.
Elaine Smith MSP said:
"I would like to be with the protesters today at the Court of Session; however as it is a Parliament sitting day unfortunately I am unable to join them. I do of course remain fully committed to supporting the community in their opposition to this plant.
I appeared in person at the Public Inquiry Session last February to give evidence against the granting of planning permission for this proposal. I made the point that our local area is already burdened with enough waste management facilities and I saw no reason why we should be turned into the dumping ground of Scotland.
I hope that the lobby is successful in showing that we mean business and I am sure that the message will again be sent to Shore Energy and to the Scottish Government that we do not want this incinerator in Coatbridge.
It is incredibly disappointing that North Lanarkshire Council have been forced into making this expensive appeal against the Scottish Ministers within the courts, when the Scottish Government could have acted on the side of the people and refused the application outright.
It appears to me that our planning system is stacked in favour of big business, which have the resources to pay for top legal advice, and is against ordinary people who are trying to defend their communities. This needs to change."
