The Norwich Green

Good News On Incinerator Plans

Norfolk County Council is set to approve a bid for the treatment of our county's residual waste that does not involve burning. The relevant County Council Committee has recommended to the Cabinet that WRG, the company that has been proposing to build an incinerator at Costessey and more recently Trowse, should not be the preferred bidder. Furthermore, the likely new preferred bidder, SRM, has confirmed that it will not include any burning as part of its mechanical biological treatment process.

Town Close Green Councillor Janet Bearman said: "I know there has been a high level of public concern about the prospect of an incinerator being built locally. At the recent public meeting in Costessey experts outlined strong evidence of links between incinerators and high concentrations of health problems amongst people living in nearby areas. The Green Party is pleased that the likely new preferred bid does not involve incineration. However, we are concerned that WRG is likely to still be the reserve bidder.

Last month's City Council meeting adopted a Green Party motion calling on the County Council to rule out incineration for this and future contracts. The motion also called for the development of a resource recovery park in Norwich. Such facilities exist in other parts of the world and achieve reuse and recycling levels of up to 90%. We are also pushing for the City Council to make improved local recycling facilities a high priority in the budget for the next financial year, which is to be considered this month. We will report on this in the next newsletter."

Have You Registered To Vote For 3rd May Elections?

News in Brief

The Green Councillors are pleased that the green area between Holls Lane and the rear of Queen's Road has been cleared of fly-tipping and that shrubs have been planted by the City Council. If you live in this area and have any views on how this space could be further improved please contact your Green Party Councillors.

Norwich Takes A Lead On Climate Change

The City Council has adopted a Green Party motion calling for the Council to take a lead in working for year-on-year reductions in carbon emissions from its buildings and services. Green Councillor Andrew Boswell, who is also Co-ordinator of the Norwich and Norfolk Campaign Against Climate Change, said: "The Council still has to ensure that this carbon reduction policy is pursued in every area of its work, but acceptance of a need for year-on-year reductions is a crucial breakthrough. We hope that the County Council, other organisations and businesses in the city follow suit – and that Norwich’s example will be copied across the country."

Vauxhall Street Open Day

The Safer Norwich Partnership held an open day at the Vauxhall Centre on 25th January. Janet Bearman, Green Councillor for the area, attended and was pleased to see how many local residents were also there. The open day was an opportunity for Vauxhall Street area residents to talk to the Police and Council officers about local anti-social behaviour and environmental concerns. Various measures are now planned to improve security in the area, including better lighting and CCTV outside the shops, repairing door entry systems in the council flats and improving the Johnson Place car park.

Road Safety Proposals For Unthank Road

The City Council is consulting residents on the following proposed road safety measures for Unthank Road:

• A 20mph speed limit, with signs, between Dover Street and Park Lane.
• Widening of some narrow footpaths.
• Buildouts to improve vision for drivers exiting side roads and for pedestrians.
• Conversion of the pelican crossing near York Street to a zebra crossing so pedestrians have the right to cross immediately.
• Speed reactive flashing signs at both approaches to the shopping area.

Grove Road Phone Mast Plans Defeated

The City Council has rejected an application by T-Mobile to install a 12m high mobile phone mast at the Grove Road shops. Over 100 local residents signed the petition and/or sent in objection letters against the proposals. Local Green Councillor Chris Hull commented: "I had been working on this issue with some residents who contacted me to express concerns about the health and visual implications of the plans."

Bignold First and Middle Schools have been approached by a mobile phone company wanting to install a mast on their grounds. If a planning application is submitted Green Councillors will inform residents in that area so they have an opportunity to comment.

Comment: Britain's Nuclear Weapons

Green Party City Councillor Adrian Ramsay outlines the arguments against replacing Trident.

On around 12th March, Members of Parliament will be asked to vote on the Government's plans to spend an estimated £76billion on renewing Britain's nuclear weapons system, Trident. Green Party members are working with campaign groups to outline the arguments against these plans.

The astronomical expense cannot be justified. £76billion could make a huge difference in helping to tackle dangerous climate change or in improving our public services.

Furthermore, Trident is often referred to as an independent deterrent – but it is not at all independent of the US. The factory in Aldermaston (Berkshire) that makes the bombs uses US equipment to do so, while the submarine maintenance base in Plymouth is largely the property of Halliburton (US Vice President Dick Cheney's old firm). If one agrees with the Government that international terrorism and the suicide bomber are the main threat, then the argument that nuclear weapons act as a deterrent against attack cannot stand up either.

Renewing Trident would also undermine the crucial United Nations Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, which came into force in 1970 and which the UK has signed. The Treaty's goal is a world free from nuclear weapons: free from the risk of social and environmental destruction that the use of nuclear weapons would heighten. Renewing Trident would undermine all attempts to prevent Iran and other states from acquiring nuclear weapons. For this reason, renewing Britain's weapons of mass destruction would make the world a more dangerous place.