This petition supports the legal action being proposed by the local resident (Malcolm Powell) namely a judicial review on the grounds that the Council's decision and subsequent issue of the Environmental Permit for the Belmont Industrial Estate Small Waste Incinerator was unlawful.

This petition asks that the Council does not impose on itself and the local community the significant costs involved in resisting the legal action in court and that the Council rescinds the permit without delay.

We need to keep raising our voices against the permit granted by the Calderdale Council for an incinerator that poses a severe risk to the environment and public health in Sowerby Bridge. This incinerator will operate for 24 hours, five days a week, in a narrow, deep-sided valley. It is worth noting that the smoke stack of this incinerator does not even reach the height of the main road, leading to a high potential for concentrated pollution in the immediate area. 

There are nine schools within 1 mile and 18 schools within 2 miles of the site, and that’s not including pre-schools or private nurseries. The risk this poses to children’s health is extremely high.

This situation is not only detrimental to the environment, but it also places local wildlife and human health in extreme danger. The harmful toxins emitted from the incinerator can cause a range of health complications, including respiratory diseases and potentialities for long-term chronic conditions. Sowerby Bridge already has a higher than National and Calderdale average of respiratory conditions of Asthma and COPD. Our valley is not designed to handle the volume of pollutants this operation will produce; it does not have the vast open spaces that help dilute emissions naturally. 

Please show your support to help stop the operation of this harmful incinerator in Sowerby Bridge. Sign this petition today.