The Petition of residents of Creswell and the surrounding areas in Staffordshire regarding the Blythe Park gas-fired power station proposal,
Declares that the Petitioners recognise that the gas-fired power station is completely out of character with the area; the pollution created will be deposited across in and around an area of outstanding beauty; this site has historic and ongoing issues with toxic waste, and any major development will unsettle this waste leading to serious health concerns for the local community; the infrastructure leading to the site is wholly inadequate; the development will have disastrous consequences for local wildlife; following development, the community and surrounding areas will be blighted by significant noise and light pollution; the proposed site for the development is a known flood plain; Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council have already made it officially clear that they completely object to these proposals; and the power source is non-sustainable, costly and not environmentally friendly.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to launch a public inquiry into the proposed Blythe Bridge power station proposal and take further steps to prevent this project from going any further.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr William Cash, Official Report, 23 March 2010; Vol. 508, c. 218.]
[P000773]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change:
Where an application is made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for consent to construct an electricity generating station with a capacity greater than 50 megawatts, a public inquiry must be held if an objection is made by a relevant planning authority. In the case of the Blythe Park application, the relevant planning authority, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, has objected and therefore a public inquiry must now be held before any decision on the application is made.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is making the necessary arrangements for the public inquiry and these will be publicised and objectors notified once they are finalised.