Review of Official Documents
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Pollution from Rugby Cement worksThere is a huge quantity of data on the subject of pollution from the Rugby Cement works. It is apparent from reports and correspondence in the press that there have been several occasions when breaches of licence conditions have been sufficiently serious for the plant to be shut down, sometimes belatedly. Otherwise it is difficult for a non-expert to assess the significance of the data. Limits on emissions apply to continuous operation. Each time the plant is restarted, the emission limits that would normally apply may be exceeded. This is the link to the relevant page on Rugby Borough
Council’s website. Reports to Rugby Borough Council are generally published
on the Internet (along with the minutes), though it is necessary to search back
through individual meetings. A starting point is to search “Environment” within
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/corporate/RBCcomsys.nsf/WP?OpenView&Start=1&Count=30&Expand=10#10.
The quarterly Air Quality Monitoring Reports by Faber Maunsell for Rugby Borough Council appear not to be on the Internet. They are long documents with much information that is national and /or repetitive from quarter to quarter. Reports cover 24 monitoring sites. The highest levels of pollution are shown at locations close to busy roads both in the town and in villages and rarely exceed target levels. The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Warwickshire County Council looked into air quality and health. This is the link to the report on 12 January 2005: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/corporate/committe.nsf/471ece76d69bff9780256a140057d7f8/64a5f202329e689280256f7a004c0e4d/$FILE/ams%20air%20quality%20and%20health%20120105%20%5B648kb%5D.pdf. A surprising conclusion was: “It became clear early on in the review that concerns about certain industrial processes in Warwickshire causing high levels of air pollution, was not as important as the pollution caused by traffic.” References to Rugby Cement Works are in paragraph 5.6.2 (page 16) and appendix 3 (pages 32, 34, 36 and 37). There was more concern from the Citizens’ Panel than from the professionals who most influenced the final report. One difficulty with the whole issue is that pollution from the Cement Works covers a wide area and is additional (even if relatively small) to more localised sources of pollution. Undoubtedly there are occasions when there is a widespread smell similar to that which is or was common within a few miles of the Bedfordshire brickworks that can only be from the Cement Works. The Environment Agency is the licensing authority for Rugby Cement Works and has licensed tyre burning on a trial basis. Statutory bodies such as Rugby Borough Council and Rugby Primary Care Trust have decided against legal challenge because of the potential award of costs against them. Legal challenge has been by individuals eligible for Legal Aid. A very large quantity of information from the Environment Agency is on a public register maintained by Rugby Borough Council (see index as at November 2005 [Microsoft Excel document]) that is available for personal inspection or limited copying. The register includes reports on incidents when permitted emissions from the Cement Works were exceeded. 44 such occasions were recorded over a period of just over two years between 2003 and 2005. There is a September 2005 planning application for the Rugby Cement works that can be accessed through http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/web/corporate/pages.nsf/(DisplayLinks)/B6F82414B21889D38025708500359F7C. The application is for a new bag filter and dust collection system to replace the previous “ESP” filtration system, which is necessary as the particulate emission limits for waste (including tyres) are lower than for conventional fuels and the ESP system does not comply with the particulate emission limits for waste (although tyres are being burnt on a trial basis). The associated Environmental Impact Assessment outlines the history of the plant.
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Sheila
Porter-Williams |