Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston

Press releases

CONCH NEWS ALERT : North Ayrshire Council Say NO

9th November 2011

At a meeting this afternoon, lasting less than 90 minutes, North Ayrshire Councillors voted unanimously to object to Ayrshire Power's plans for a dirty coal-station at Hunterston. Citing concerns over health, environment and climate change the councillors were also critical of major gaps in information provided by Ayrshire Power and their failure to have credible plans to capture 100% of carbon emissions from the outset. The council also highlighted the need for an independent health impact assessment; emphasised that a public inquiry was needed given the high level of objections and also disputed that the plans were compatible with the Scottish Governments National Planning Framework.

CONCH are very pleased that the Council has taken note of the concerns of the 21,000 people who have objected and taken on board many of the issues we raised during the evidence we gave to them earlier this month. We would also like to thank our many supporters who have taken time to write to the council as well as the support from environmental groups across Scotland in campaigning against these plans.

North Ayrshire Council's decision gives a very strong signal to the Scottish Government as to how seriously flawed and unpopular Ayrshire Power's plans are. We now want the Scottish Government to show similar leadership and also say no to dirty coal. It is now likely that the plans will go to a public inquiry, but CONCH will continue to campaign for an outright rejection from Scottish Ministers when they come to decide the application over the coming months.

18th October, 2011

More than 20,000 say no to Hunterston

Damaging North Ayrshire proposal receives record number of objections

A proposed new coal fired power station on the Ayrshire coast has attracted more formal objections than any other development in the history of the Scottish planning system.

Over 20,000 people have now registered their opposition to the plans for the climate-wrecking electricity plant at Hunterston – an unprecedented figure according to the government's energy consents unit. A large proportion of the objections come from people living in North Ayrshire.

The previous most unpopular application was the Beauly-Denny power upgrade to the electricity grid network. Attracting nearly as many was the Lewis Wind Farm application which ministers rightly rejected on the grounds of its damaging impact on the environment.

The level of opposition now gives ministers the opportunity to show they listen to the will of the Scottish people and to reject this damaging application.

It has also emerged that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have warned that the development could cause damage to thousands of sites across the UK that are designated for their outstanding natural heritage value.

The Scottish Government's statutory conservation and environment advisors caution in their responses to the application that more than 6,500 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) throughout Britain could be harmed by deposition from the plant.

This news comes less than two weeks after the Court of Session in Edinburgh issued a ruling that Scottish Ministers did not act illegally in deciding that there was a national need for a new coal plant at Hunterston. It seems clear that the residents of North Ayrshire do not agree that Scotland needs this development.

Aedán Smith, Head of Planning and Development at RSPB Scotland, said: "I think these figures demonstrate the strength of public feeling against the building of a new Hunterston power station, and the level of local opposition is clear to see. We hope that the views of local people will be taken into account when North Ayrshire Council considers its position on the proposals over the next few weeks".

Dr Richard Dixon, Director of WWF Scotland said: "The area has had enough uncertainty about energy development. The huge public opposition shows that this application should be turned down, especially as we don't believe it will be built should it be given the go ahead. In order to make carbon capture on coal work, even ScottishPower would need over £1bn at Longannet, making it highly improbable Ayrshire Power will be able to build this unpopular station or find a buyer for the site."

Stan Blackley, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Given the huge number of people who have objected, local Councillors and Scottish Ministers would be foolish to ignore them. Scotland does not need another dirty coal-fired power station and the plans for this one should be consigned to the dustbin forthwith."

More than 30ha of a coastal wildlife site used by tens of thousands of wintering water birds – the largest such site in Ayrshire – would be completely destroyed if the new power station is built.

Without 100% carbon capture in place, the scheme would also make a mockery of the Scottish Government's world-leading climate change ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2020.

Dr. Maggie Keegan, Scottish Wildlife Trust's National Planning Co-ordinator, said: "The damage caused by the sea temperature rise will decimate the local lugworm population as lugworms cannot breed in warm water. This means that many key bird species will face a double whammy of loss of habitat and loss of food - even worse, there is nowhere else for the birds to go in Ayrshire. Providing a tiny amount of new habitat by way of compensation, really does not address the issue."
Tim Cowen co-chair of Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston (CONCH), added: "CONCH will be giving evidence to North Ayrshire Council at a pre-determination hearing on October 24. North Ayrshire Council will be meeting on November 9 to decide on whether or not to support Ayrshire Powers plans. If allowed to proceed, Ayrshire Powers plans will have a devastating impact on our health, environment and economy. It is vital that the Council put the interests of their constituents ahead of big polluting business. We are calling on councillors to give a strong signal to the Scottish Government and "Say no to dirty coal".

RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland and Scottish Wildlife Trust, along with other charities, faith groups, and local campaigning organisations have vowed to continue the fight to stop the damaging scheme.

North Ayrshire Council will hear views from objectors and the applicant on Monday 24 October at Cunninghame House, before taking a decision on their position on the application on Wednesday 9 November.

Ends

For more information/interviews/images, please contact Jenny Tweedie, Media and Communications Officer for the South and West of Scotland, on 0141 331 0993 or 07899 675131.

Notes

The Portencross Coast SSSI includes important areas of sandflats, mudflats and eelgrass beds. The SSSI is one of the best remaining examples of inter-tidal habitat left on the Outer Clyde, and provides an important feeding ground for wintering birds such as oystercatcher, curlew, wigeon, eider and shelduck. The proposed plan would involve infilling and destroying this valuable habitat and the loss of the habitat used by these birds as feeding and roosting areas.
The campaign against the Hunterston coal-fired power station proposal is supported by a broad coalition of environment and faith groups, including RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Planning Democracy, Christian Aid, Church of Scotland, Oxfam, World Development Movement Scotland, and Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston (CONCH).
For more information on the proposed plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston see www.rspb.org.uk/hunterston

RSPB Scotland is part of the RSPB which speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment.
Nature is amazing - help us keep it that way. www.rspb.org.uk
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654

4th October, 2011

CONCH are extremely disappointed by the outcome of judicial review, but believe it is a set-back rather than a fatal blow to those campaigning against the plans for a dirty coal-station at Hunterston.

CONCH are urging the Government to revisit Hunterston’s inclusion within the National Planning Framework in light of their own renewable energy targets and growing evidence that there isn’t an impending energy gap in Scotland. A dirty coal station is not compatible with SNP’s commitment to tackle climate change and to promote renewable energy, and if allowed to proceed will have a devastating impact on our health, environment and economy.

We are calling on the Scottish Government to listen to the 20,000 people who have objected to Ayrshire Powers plans and reject outright Ayrshire Powers plans. CONCH will be giving evidence to North Ayrshire Council at a pre-determination hearing on 24th October. North Ayrshire Council will be meeting on 9th November to decide on whether or not to support Ayrshire Power's plans.

It is more important than ever that the Council put the interests of their constituents ahead of big polluting business. We are calling on councillors to give a strong signal to the Scottish Government and “Say no to dirty coal”. We are urging CONCH supporters to post their comments to NAC on the council’s planning portal.

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Some points of information

The Say NO to Hunterston Campaign is being run by a coalition of environment and development groups including Friends of the Earth Scotland, RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, Christian Aid, the Church of Scotland, Oxfam, Planning Democracy, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the World Development Movement Scotland, and the local community group, CONCH (Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston)

The 'Say NO to Hunterston' campaign believes that the development shouldn't go ahead for the following reasons:

Southannan Sands is one of the best areas for wildlife in the whole of the Clyde Estuary and should be protected from damaging developments such as this one.
As well as potential air and noise pollution, the development would be highly visible and may impact on local tourism, which in turn may impact on local jobs.
The development will cause an increase in carbon emissions in Scotland. This will undermine Scotland's world leadership in setting the most ambitious targets to tackle climate change, which is affecting millions of people around the world right now.
Scotland can easily meet its future electricity needs without this polluting development.

Supporter briefing http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/hunterston_supporter_briefing_nov10.pdf

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ABOUT CONCH

CONCH, Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston, was formed in July 2009. We are a voluntary, independent, community-led campaign, with no vested commercial interests and no party political affiliations.

CONCH gives a platform for people concerned about the proposed coal station at Hunterston to come together and speak with a stronger voice. CONCH’s members primarily come from Largs, Fairlie and West Kilbride, but we have active members and supporters from across Scotland and beyond.

In contrast to APL we are not backed by a billionaire tax-exile, do not have massive PR and marketing resources and are reliant entirely on volunteers from within the community to carry out our activities.

CONCH have met regularly over the last 12 months to discuss Ayrshire Powers plans, research their implications and discuss our common concerns. Unlike Ayrshire Power, we have also held two large-scale public meetings. The first was held in July 2009 and saw the launch of our campaign; the second held in June 2010 was attended by over 160 people and supported by environmental NGOs from across Scotland.

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> Press Release Home About CONCH Coal Station Proposal What is CCS? Take Action Contact us Donate Meetings Events Press Releases CONCH in the Media Info (Open Access) Politicians' views Links Human Rights Health Issues Coal Mine Accidents Environmental Issues Renewable Energy	Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston Press releases CONCH NEWS ALERT : North Ayrshire Council Say NO 9th November 2011 At a meeting this afternoon, lasting less than 90 minutes, North Ayrshire Councillors voted unanimously to object to Ayrshire Power's plans for a dirty coal-station at Hunterston. Citing concerns over health, environment and climate change the councillors were also critical of major gaps in information provided by Ayrshire Power and their failure to have credible plans to capture 100% of carbon emissions from the outset. The council also highlighted the need for an independent health impact assessment; emphasised that a public inquiry was needed given the high level of objections and also disputed that the plans were compatible with the Scottish Governments National Planning Framework. CONCH are very pleased that the Council has taken note of the concerns of the 21,000 people who have objected and taken on board many of the issues we raised during the evidence we gave to them earlier this month. We would also like to thank our many supporters who have taken time to write to the council as well as the support from environmental groups across Scotland in campaigning against these plans. North Ayrshire Council's decision gives a very strong signal to the Scottish Government as to how seriously flawed and unpopular Ayrshire Power's plans are. We now want the Scottish Government to show similar leadership and also say no to dirty coal. It is now likely that the plans will go to a public inquiry, but CONCH will continue to campaign for an outright rejection from Scottish Ministers when they come to decide the application over the coming months. 18th October, 2011 More than 20,000 say no to Hunterston Damaging North Ayrshire proposal receives record number of objections A proposed new coal fired power station on the Ayrshire coast has attracted more formal objections than any other development in the history of the Scottish planning system. Over 20,000 people have now registered their opposition to the plans for the climate-wrecking electricity plant at Hunterston – an unprecedented figure according to the government's energy consents unit. A large proportion of the objections come from people living in North Ayrshire. The previous most unpopular application was the Beauly-Denny power upgrade to the electricity grid network. Attracting nearly as many was the Lewis Wind Farm application which ministers rightly rejected on the grounds of its damaging impact on the environment. The level of opposition now gives ministers the opportunity to show they listen to the will of the Scottish people and to reject this damaging application. It has also emerged that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have warned that the development could cause damage to thousands of sites across the UK that are designated for their outstanding natural heritage value. The Scottish Government's statutory conservation and environment advisors caution in their responses to the application that more than 6,500 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) throughout Britain could be harmed by deposition from the plant. This news comes less than two weeks after the Court of Session in Edinburgh issued a ruling that Scottish Ministers did not act illegally in deciding that there was a national need for a new coal plant at Hunterston. It seems clear that the residents of North Ayrshire do not agree that Scotland needs this development. Aedán Smith, Head of Planning and Development at RSPB Scotland, said: "I think these figures demonstrate the strength of public feeling against the building of a new Hunterston power station, and the level of local opposition is clear to see. We hope that the views of local people will be taken into account when North Ayrshire Council considers its position on the proposals over the next few weeks". Dr Richard Dixon, Director of WWF Scotland said: "The area has had enough uncertainty about energy development. The huge public opposition shows that this application should be turned down, especially as we don't believe it will be built should it be given the go ahead. In order to make carbon capture on coal work, even ScottishPower would need over £1bn at Longannet, making it highly improbable Ayrshire Power will be able to build this unpopular station or find a buyer for the site." Stan Blackley, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Given the huge number of people who have objected, local Councillors and Scottish Ministers would be foolish to ignore them. Scotland does not need another dirty coal-fired power station and the plans for this one should be consigned to the dustbin forthwith." More than 30ha of a coastal wildlife site used by tens of thousands of wintering water birds – the largest such site in Ayrshire – would be completely destroyed if the new power station is built. Without 100% carbon capture in place, the scheme would also make a mockery of the Scottish Government's world-leading climate change ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2020. Dr. Maggie Keegan, Scottish Wildlife Trust's National Planning Co-ordinator, said: "The damage caused by the sea temperature rise will decimate the local lugworm population as lugworms cannot breed in warm water. This means that many key bird species will face a double whammy of loss of habitat and loss of food - even worse, there is nowhere else for the birds to go in Ayrshire. Providing a tiny amount of new habitat by way of compensation, really does not address the issue." Tim Cowen co-chair of Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston (CONCH), added: "CONCH will be giving evidence to North Ayrshire Council at a pre-determination hearing on October 24. North Ayrshire Council will be meeting on November 9 to decide on whether or not to support Ayrshire Powers plans. If allowed to proceed, Ayrshire Powers plans will have a devastating impact on our health, environment and economy. It is vital that the Council put the interests of their constituents ahead of big polluting business. We are calling on councillors to give a strong signal to the Scottish Government and "Say no to dirty coal". RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland and Scottish Wildlife Trust, along with other charities, faith groups, and local campaigning organisations have vowed to continue the fight to stop the damaging scheme. North Ayrshire Council will hear views from objectors and the applicant on Monday 24 October at Cunninghame House, before taking a decision on their position on the application on Wednesday 9 November. Ends For more information/interviews/images, please contact Jenny Tweedie, Media and Communications Officer for the South and West of Scotland, on 0141 331 0993 or 07899 675131. Notes The Portencross Coast SSSI includes important areas of sandflats, mudflats and eelgrass beds. The SSSI is one of the best remaining examples of inter-tidal habitat left on the Outer Clyde, and provides an important feeding ground for wintering birds such as oystercatcher, curlew, wigeon, eider and shelduck. The proposed plan would involve infilling and destroying this valuable habitat and the loss of the habitat used by these birds as feeding and roosting areas. The campaign against the Hunterston coal-fired power station proposal is supported by a broad coalition of environment and faith groups, including RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Planning Democracy, Christian Aid, Church of Scotland, Oxfam, World Development Movement Scotland, and Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston (CONCH). For more information on the proposed plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston see www.rspb.org.uk/hunterston RSPB Scotland is part of the RSPB which speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment. Nature is amazing - help us keep it that way. www.rspb.org.uk The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 4th October, 2011 CONCH are extremely disappointed by the outcome of judicial review, but believe it is a set-back rather than a fatal blow to those campaigning against the plans for a dirty coal-station at Hunterston. CONCH are urging the Government to revisit Hunterston’s inclusion within the National Planning Framework in light of their own renewable energy targets and growing evidence that there isn’t an impending energy gap in Scotland. A dirty coal station is not compatible with SNP’s commitment to tackle climate change and to promote renewable energy, and if allowed to proceed will have a devastating impact on our health, environment and economy. We are calling on the Scottish Government to listen to the 20,000 people who have objected to Ayrshire Powers plans and reject outright Ayrshire Powers plans. CONCH will be giving evidence to North Ayrshire Council at a pre-determination hearing on 24th October. North Ayrshire Council will be meeting on 9th November to decide on whether or not to support Ayrshire Power's plans. It is more important than ever that the Council put the interests of their constituents ahead of big polluting business. We are calling on councillors to give a strong signal to the Scottish Government and “Say no to dirty coal”. We are urging CONCH supporters to post their comments to NAC on the council’s planning portal. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Some points of information The Say NO to Hunterston Campaign is being run by a coalition of environment and development groups including Friends of the Earth Scotland, RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, Christian Aid, the Church of Scotland, Oxfam, Planning Democracy, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the World Development Movement Scotland, and the local community group, CONCH (Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston) The 'Say NO to Hunterston' campaign believes that the development shouldn't go ahead for the following reasons: Southannan Sands is one of the best areas for wildlife in the whole of the Clyde Estuary and should be protected from damaging developments such as this one. As well as potential air and noise pollution, the development would be highly visible and may impact on local tourism, which in turn may impact on local jobs. The development will cause an increase in carbon emissions in Scotland. This will undermine Scotland's world leadership in setting the most ambitious targets to tackle climate change, which is affecting millions of people around the world right now. Scotland can easily meet its future electricity needs without this polluting development. Supporter briefing http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/hunterston_supporter_briefing_nov10.pdf ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ABOUT CONCH CONCH, Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston, was formed in July 2009. We are a voluntary, independent, community-led campaign, with no vested commercial interests and no party political affiliations. CONCH gives a platform for people concerned about the proposed coal station at Hunterston to come together and speak with a stronger voice. CONCH’s members primarily come from Largs, Fairlie and West Kilbride, but we have active members and supporters from across Scotland and beyond. In contrast to APL we are not backed by a billionaire tax-exile, do not have massive PR and marketing resources and are reliant entirely on volunteers from within the community to carry out our activities. CONCH have met regularly over the last 12 months to discuss Ayrshire Powers plans, research their implications and discuss our common concerns. Unlike Ayrshire Power, we have also held two large-scale public meetings. The first was held in July 2009 and saw the launch of our campaign; the second held in June 2010 was attended by over 160 people and supported by environmental NGOs from across Scotland. Previous Press Releases
For more information, contact the CONCH campaign.

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