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Anger as Green Lane Eco Park strongly opposed
by Tom Rodgers At a packed Monton House Hotel last night angry local residents clashed with developers Sky Properties over the proposed Green Lane Eco Park on the Monton/Patricroft border. It was meant to be the first meeting of a Community Liaison Group, however, over 100 residents arrived with their own concerns over the proposals, which cite the need for waste management in the area as a driver for proposing the gasification and recycling plant. But residents asked, "Why here? Why a small site in the middle of Monton?". Anthony Hirsch, who owns Sky Properties, has held on to the land for several years, and this latest idea, to turn the site into a recycling facility, Green Lane Eco Park, has caused consternation amongst locals fearful of the 'incinerator effect', which they say will devalue houses, cause unwanted pollution and endanger their children. Over the past 7 years the site has been variously designated as a leisure and residential development, but Salford City Council have encouraged the developer to present a case for employment - which has led to the latest controversy. Sky Properties have not yet put in an industrial application for the land, preferring to consult with the community first. Salford energy company ENERGOS have exclusive 'gasification' technology, which, they told the assembled residents, is "a world away from an incinerator". In a 55m chimney, renewable heat and power would be produced from converting 'residual, non-recyclable waste' into gas which could drive a turbine to produce electricity. The former Mitchell Shackleton building - once an engineering firm - has stood on the site for the past 70 years, but was closed nearly 10 years ago. The building has since been demolished, and the 11 hectare space is being cleared as we speak. The Green Lane site, say residents, could not support the amount of traffic that such a development would require; the company have estimated that 160 HGVs per day would be needed to carry recycling material to and from the site. However, the already congested roads are near-impassable at peak times, and HGVs would have difficulty traversing the low bridge at Patricroft, so the Parrin Lane/Monton roundabout route would be hit with traffic. Sky hit back, saying that traffic flow overall would increase by less than one percent. But residents held firm, saying that the infrastructure would not be able to cope; at present "when there is an accident on the motorway traffic in Monton/Patricroft is backed up for miles". No planning application has been sent in by Sky Properties yet, but provisional documents show that the recycling plant would include a Material Recovery Facility with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year to deal with waste paper and cardboard. An Anerobic Digester would deal with food waste. Problems arose over the potential odours that could arise from producing wastes, as one particularly well-informed resident said "There are south-westerly prevailing winds, and that will blow any dust and particulates over Monton village." Patrick, a spokesperson from ENERGOS, the company who would provide the recycling technology should the development go ahead, explained: "We're not trying to do something new here, this is world-class technology," and over fears about the residual non-recyclable materials, told the assembled group "the material we'll be recycling are not considered hazardous, this is just waste that can't be traditionally recycled". The offending technology would allow contaminated waste (for example, wet paper, or plastics covered in food) to be turned into low-emission mineral-rich gas, which would then be used to produce electricity to power local homes, as has been demonstrated in the company's other plants in Stavenger, Norway. By the end of the meeting it was obvious that the vast majority of the Monton community opposed the industrial plan, even if it were to provide local jobs. But in a more positive move, they would likely back the developer if he were to consider a leisure development, to give young people in Monton and Eccles something to do. Hazel Blears MP, attending, reminded the assembled residents' groups that the Salford City cabinet are not backing the industrial-usage development on traffic grounds.
Monton protesters share incinerator views click here Footage from Green Lane Eco Park protest click here
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