News

Milford Haven: No planning application made for Blackbridge

Published

9 years ago

March 14, 2016

THE COMPANY behind a controversial scheme to burn biomass fuel, including waste, at a site in Milford Haven has yet to submit a planning application, The Herald can reveal.

At a public presentation in Milford Haven last month Egnedol, claimed that the pyrolysis plant would begin operation in summer 2017. However, a letter from the Monitoring Officer for Pembrokeshire County Council’s Planning Department has disclosed that: ‘A planning application will not be submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council. ‘The proposal is for Development of National Significance and therefore the application will be made to the Welsh Government. No application to Welsh Government has been made as yet’.

In neighbouring Carmarthenshire, an application for a smaller pyrolysis plant was rejected by the County Council’s planning committee, after it emerged that the technology being used was untested, there had been no proper assessment of the potential for pollution, and that the company promoting the scheme had never constructed such a scheme before submitting its plans. Egnedol has claimed success with its technology elsewhere, including in the UK, but has never produced a single jot of evidence to support its claims.

In relation to pyrolysis plants being used to generate electricity, four applications in England have been granted, three rejected, while one was withdrawn shortly before an appeal hearing relating to its refusal. However, no permit applications had been made in relation to the plants’ capacity to burn waste, and that all the applications for those permits – in both Scotland and England – had been pulled around the same time. No other plants of this type are, therefore, either built or operational in the UK.

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6 Comments

Penny Joubert

March 14, 2016 at 7:48 am

What IS going on then? This company has virtually no assets and the whole set up was conducted in a very suspect way. Why would a company say they had bought a large piece of land and intended this horrendous development based on unsound financial processes and weird and wonderful untruths? There was talk of foreign investors etc etc and a multi million pound purchase investment before planning application had even been submitted!! Scratching the surface of this proposed project left one feeling that it was a very elaborate hoax, but one which could, if effected, have disastrous impact on the local area and environment.
This project should be investigated to locate the true meaning of its function. Money laundering? Distraction whilst something more distasteful happens elsewhere? Some investigative journalism wouldn’t go amiss.
Peter Warrender

March 14, 2016 at 10:27 am

There is so much scientific evidence on-line to the health risks and dangers of Biomass plants world wide. I hope the proposals of these polluting, forest destroying monstrosities are dropped. We should demand truly renewable clean energy projects/jobs for Pembrokeshire.
Flashbang

March 14, 2016 at 11:06 am

Who in PCC sold them the land so cheaply? There are a lot of questions that need answers and Jamie Adams should be held accountable as he was leader when the sale went through.
Owen Llewellyn

March 15, 2016 at 4:44 am

The whole scheme is a festering lump of something that could be politely described as male bovine biomass.
Mayday

March 15, 2016 at 9:33 pm

The land was sold by the Welsh Government not PCC. Designating the site as National Significance unfortunately puts the planning decision with them too. Objectors should be lobbying our current MPs and future AMs to make sure they are aware of concerns. Orthios have similar projects proposed for Anglesey and Port Talbot and a similar inexperience backed by Chinese investment funds. If these biomass plants are such great things why aren’t they being built in China, Jordan (Egnedol funds source) or Greece/Morocco (source of wood chips). I’m sure these places need electricity, cheese and prawns too. A cynic might suggest the developers are just looking to extract a large lump of EU funding before collapsing.
car Lyric

July 19, 2017 at 12:50 pm

How adorable

Community

Festive celebrations at St Davids Cathedral this weekend

Published

24 mins ago

December 21, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ST DAVIDS Cathedral is set to host two special events on Sunday (Dec 22), offering a blend of joyful participation and traditional carol singing to mark the Christmas season.

In the morning, families are invited to the Scratch Nativity at 11:00am. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as wise men, angels, sheep, or shepherds and take part in an unrehearsed retelling of the Christmas story. Canon Leigh described the event as: “Complete, wonderful chaos for an hour… but with some poignant, thought-provoking moments to centre ourselves on the real meaning of Christmas.”

Later in the evening, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight will take place at 7:00pm, featuring the Cathedral Choir. The event, steeped in tradition, will see the cathedral bathed in candlelight as carols and scripture readings fill the historic space.

Doors will open at 5:45pm for those seeking unreserved seating, and a large turnout is expected for this beloved Christmas celebration.

Crime

Three men from London admit their guilt over illegal cannabis farm

Published

51 mins ago

December 21, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THREE men admit their guilt after police discover over 700 cannabis plants during a raid on a former school building in Llandysul.

Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant at the former Ysgol Gynradd Llandysul on Heol Llyn Y Fran on November 15. Inside, they found 737 cannabis plants spread across multiple rooms.

Armeld Troksi, 29, and Njazi Gjana, 27, both from Empire Avenue in Edmonton, London, along with Ervin Gjana, 24, from Durham Avenue in Romford, were arrested at the scene and later charged with producing cannabis.

The three men appeared before Swansea Crown Court, where they admitted their involvement in the illegal operation. Defence solicitor Joshua Scouller requested a pre-sentence report for Ervin Gjana, which was granted by Judge Geraint Walters.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 20.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Following a warrant executed at the former school on Heol Llyn Y Fran, officers discovered a significant cannabis grow containing 737 plants.

“We are grateful to the local community for their continued support and cooperation. Officers will remain in the area while the site is secured.

“Our commitment remains firm in disrupting drug production and supply networks across our force area.

“We encourage residents to report any suspicious activity, no matter how small it may seem. Every piece of information can make a difference, and reports can easily be submitted through our website.”

News

Protest in Lampeter to save Wales’ oldest university

Published

1 hour ago

December 21, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Wales’ oldest university staged a march and demonstration last Friday (Dec 20) in a bid to highlight the plight of the Lampeter campus.

The protest, organised by the Lampeter Society, brought together former and current students, along with local residents, to oppose plans by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) to relocate humanities courses to Carmarthen next September.

The rally began at Lampeter Rugby Club at 10:30am, with demonstrators marching to the university campus. Despite the timing—on a weekday and so close to Christmas—organisers reported a strong turnout.

Ieuan Davies, one of the organisers and a Lampeter alumnus from the 1980s, said: “We wanted to show support for the students whose education is being directly affected by these plans, and to remind decision-makers of the devastating impact this will have on the local economy and culture.”

Established in 1822, Lampeter is Wales’ oldest higher education institution. In 2009, it merged with Trinity College Carmarthen and later joined with Swansea Metropolitan University to form UWTSD.

The proposed relocation of the humanities faculty has sparked concerns about the long-term sustainability of higher education in Lampeter. Campaigners argue that losing the faculty would mark the end of over 200 years of academic heritage in the town.

The Lampeter Society has also launched a petition calling on the university and the Welsh Government to create a ‘viable, sustainable plan’ for the campus’s future. The petition requires 10,000 signatures to trigger a debate in the Senedd and can be accessed at https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246410.