Climate Change Action

On 4th June, Newham London Borough Council will debate a planning application made by Blue-NG Ltd for the UK’s first combined heat and power plant to be run on biofuels. This will be a large plant, burning 56,000 litres of vegetable oil a day. The final decision will be made shortly afterwards by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

Blue NG are planning seven further plants to follow this one. Blue-NG Ltd. and 20C Ltd. have managed to deceive councillors and environmental groups alike by disguising the fuel source and they have failed to engage the local community in the consultation process.

This is of particular concern given the noxious emissions associated with burning pure plant oils such as rapeseed and palm oil, which are a threat to public health. In Germany the courts recently ruled against a CHP plant burning palm oil, forcing it to close for just this reason.

For more information about the Blue NG proposal, click here;

http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/files/thames_gateway_biodiesel_project.pdf

To take action, click here;

http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/beckton.htm

If you live in London, then please send an objection to the Planning Officers, expressing your concern. You can find a draft letter on the ‘take action’ link above. We are asking only people from London to send the letters since we are not sure whether lots of letters from elsewhere will help at this stage.

On Wednesday June 4th at 7pm Newham LBC has their final consultation.

If you are a member of an environmental group or a local person living in Newham and would like to give evidence at this meeting then please submit your concerns as described above and make a specific request to present evidence at the consultation meeting on the 4th. Otherwise as a concerned member of the public you can still attend the consultation meeting.

There are two protest events run jointly by Biofuelwatch and London Food not Fuel;

1). Saturday May 31st which includes two activities: There will be a stall outside Sainsbury's on Myrtle Road, East Ham from 10:30 to 6:30. We could do with help manning the stall, explaining and handing out flyers and getting signatures for a petition. This will be followed by a banner protest from 3:00 to 5:00pm at Newham Town Hall, East Ham on the Barking Road around the corner from Sainsburys.

2). Wednesday 4th June. The second event will be timed to coincide with councillors attending the final consultation meeting at Newham Town Hall on June 4th. The meeting is at 7:00pm so we will be protesting from 6:30pm, Newham Town Hall, High Street South entrance, East Ham.

At 7:00pm we will join other members of the public attending the meeting.

Please join us and help to STOP the UK’s first biofuel power plant!

CONTACTS FOR BECKTON PROTEST

Biofuelwatch: info@biofuelwatch.org.uk

Deepak Rughani 07931 636 337; Almuth Ernsting 01224 324 797
Food Not Fuel: Maryla 07793 319 141; Amanda Burton 07939 522 966
Clare 07761 111 1325

Thank you

Biofuelwatch and Food Not Fuel