Secretaries of State Overturn Public Inquiry Recommendations

Gas Plant Approved

On 19th May, John Prescott (Deputy Prime Minister) (type in "john prescott liar into google to see the true history of this person) and Patricia Hewitt (Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) dramatically and incomprehensibly overturned the findings of Mr Robert Lyon – Inspector in charge of the December 2002 public inquiry – which found against the gas plant.

George Osborne MP, described this as ‘beggaring belief’

Lady Anne Winterton MP, asked in the House of Commons: ‘What is the point of a public inquiry if the Secretaries of State will simply overrule it?”

RAP’s response is fury and bafflement.

The public inquiry ran 5 weeks, and considered every possible aspect of the gas plant in meticulous detail. The inspector then spent 5 months writing a considered and detailed report. He found against the Gas Plant on the grounds of its adverse effect on the open countryside.

Despite this, Prescott and Hewitt claim there is ‘National Need’ for the gas plant, even though the inspector specifically stated there is no national need!

RAP SAYS: WE WON THE SCIENCE,
WE LOST THE POLITICS,
THE FIGHT GOES ON!

We have until the end of June to lodge an appeal with the High Court, against the incomprehensible decision of the Secretaries of State.

We are busy with our lawyers planning the next step.

Byley Gas plant: the fight continues

BYLEY GAS PLANT:
RAP FIGHTS ON!

Faced with an incomprehensible decision by John Prescott and Patricia Hewitt to overturn the result of the 2002 public inquiry on Scottish Power’s Byley gas plant, RAP has no option than to fight on with an appeal to the High Court. But not only does RAP have no option – RAP has the heart, soul and mind determination to fight on! This is not a reluctant fight.

Said RAP Chairman John Halstead: The details are now with our lawyers who are studying grounds for appeal. At first look we are greatly encouraged and see good grounds for challenging this perverse decision by the Secretaries of State.

We now have until June 30th to make our challenge in the High Court. RAP will deal with the details of the case, acting together with Councils Against the Plant, who will formally brief lawyers. But one thing we will surely need is money.

Our advice is that to be allowed to go to the High Court we will need about £50,000 in the bank. We are confident we can raise that, given assurances from a number of major backers of our campaign. But we need something else. We need a large number of donations from the public. We need this to show that the fight is on behalf of the ordinary people of Cheshire.

So we need your donations: however large, however small. We need donations from the public with names and addresses of the donors. It doesn’t matter if you are giving five pounds or fifty pence. We need the endorsement of your support.

So if you want to kill the gas plant, send your donations to:
The Treasurer,
Residents Against the Plant,
C/O Pump Cottage,
King’s Lane,
Cranage,
Cheshire, CW10 9LX.

Disaster at the cheshire gas plant

BYLEY GAS PLANT APPROVED:
WE WON THE SCIENCE,
WE LOST THE POLITICS
BUT THE FIGHT CONTINUES!

Following yesterday’s announcement by John Prescott and Patricia Hewitt’s departments that they have approved Scottish Power’s plan for the Byley Gas Plant – despite the gas plant being opposed by the public inquiry of December 2002 - John Halstead, Chairman of Residents Against the Plant (RAP) commented.

“RAP’s first reaction is tremendous pride that we helped win the public inquiry which was the definitive fair and open opportunity for all concerned to give evidence. It covered not only technical matters like equipment design and geology, but also Britain’s economic need for gas. The inquiry also noted that the people of Cheshire do not want the gas plant, with over 10,000 letters of opposition written by residents. We are therefore dumfounded that the secretaries of state have approved the gas plant, in a direct contradiction to the public will and the measured findings of a five-week public inquiry. We ask what is the point of a public inquiry, if politicians are going to overrule it in private? Indeed we ask what precisely is going on?”

RAP points out that on April 13th, the ‘Guardian’ newspaper published an article by David Gow, its city editor, stating that Scottish Power were:

“…trying to enlist the support of senior cabinet ministers to overcome local resistance…” to the gas plant.

John Halstead added:

“RAP can fight the good fight in daylight, but are we facing a lobbying campaign by a multi-billion-pound international giant, done on the quiet?”

Also, a major plank has fallen out of Scottish Power’s arguments since energy expert Niall Trimble, has just executed a spectacular U-turn by contradicting the evidence he gave at the 2002 public inquiry, when he argued for the gas plant to store gas against national need. At the 2002 inquiry, Trimble said Britain faced a medium term shortage of gas, but on BBC’s ‘Working Lunch’ of May 18th, he declared that in the medium term ‘we will be awash with the stuff’ which nicely demolishes his own case.

John Halstead concluded:

“We have won the science and lost the politics, but the fight continues. We - and our lawyers - are going through the statement from the secretaries of state, and the report of the public inquiry. We already see good opportunity for an appeal against the approval of the gas plant, and RAP is undiminished in enthusiasm to fight on. We have the people, the money, and the will to win. Scottish Power should not yet open the champagne.”