Welcome to Colchester and North East Essex Friends of the Earth

Welcome to the web site of Colchester and North East Essex Friends of the Earth.

You can read about the group's history on the About Us and Past Events pages.

Our current campaigns (local and national) are shown in the navigation bar to the left. The latest developments appear on the News page.

Addresses for any questions can be found on the Contact Us page. We hope you find this site useful.

Announcements

Have your say: new nuclear at Bradwell

You have until midnight next Thursday (14 May) to give your views on the proposal to site a new nuclear power station and spent fuel store at Bradwell.

The address to write to and suggested points to make are on our news page.

Rivenhall Incinerator demo at Chelmsford on 24th April

Friends of the Earth are joining the Rivenhall people at 9am on Friday 24th April on the steps of the County Hall. Please come to support us if you can. Press will be invited for 9.15am.

Read more here

Hockley Farm windfarm at Bradwell - appeal deadline

Maldon District Council has written to people who submitted representations to the original application to build ten wind turbines on land at Hockley Farm, Hockley Lane, Bradwell. A deadline for submissions to the above to arrive at the Planning Inspectorate by 21st April.

Please consider supporting this windfarm, which would supply the equivalent electricity needs of a third of the Maldon district with current profligate and wasteful use of power.

More details are on our news page and suggested points to quote in support can be found in our response to the appeal (.DOC).

Earls Hall windfarm appeal - deadline for letters

Anyone who sent a letter of support (or objection) to the Earls Hall windfarm proposal will have received a letter from Tendring District Council telling you that Npower Renewables has appealed against the council's decision to turn it down. There will be a public inquiry, and they will notify you when the date has been set. You can inspect the grounds set out for the appeal at the Council Offices, Weeley.

If you haven't yet written already you have till this Thursday 11th December to submit any comments (six weeks from 30th October 2008). They ask you to send three copies to the Secretary of State, Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/16 Eagle Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN. It must get there by 11th December by post! The reference number of the application is 07/00433/FUL.

More details including suggested points to quote in support are on our news page.

Meetings about new nuclear build

British Energy are holding public meetings about their proposals for two new nuclear power stations at Bradwell. They are at:

Tues 18 Nov: MICA hall, West Mersea - 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Wed 19 Nov: Bradwell village hall - 6.30pm to 9pm
Tues 25 Nov: Southminster Memorial hall - 2.30pm to 5pm
Wed 26 Nov: Steeple village hall - 10am to 12.30pm and Cold Norton village hall - 6.30pm to 9pm

Meetings about Rivenhall incinerator proposal

There will be a public meeting on Friday Oct. 10th at Feering Community Centre, and another on Friday Oct. 17th at Bradwell Village Hall, to discuss the planning application for a regional waste site and waste incinerator at Rivenhall Airfield. More details on our News page.

Good news from CBC

The Cabinet met on 1st Oct. 08 to withdraw from the PFI bidding process (see waste policy story below). More detail on our news page.

Meeting at MICA Hall

On 23rd Sept. 08, CBC's scrutiny panel met at the MICA Hall, West Mersea, the main business being the prospect of new nuclear build at Bradwell.
Press release from BANNG.

Change of waste policy at Colchester Borough Council

In the May elections, the Conservatives lost control of Colchester Borough Council. The new administration, a LibDem/Labour/Independent coalition, had supported our campaign against the county council's waste strategy for a long time when in opposition.

They agreed a new waste policy which is opposed to Essex County Council's strategy of centralised sites with MBT (Mechanical Biological Treatment) plants shredding and drying 'black bag' waste to produce RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) or SRF (Solid Recovered Fuel) for an incinerator. The new policy aims at Zero Waste, and is incompatible with the long contracts required for the proposed MBT plants and an incinerator.

They announced in the local weekly Standard that they were pulling out of the PFI bid to Government to help finance the 28.5 year contracts. However a more recent article in the daily Gazette announced they were staying "at the table" till Christmas by which time the PFI bid will have been agreed.

Read our letter to the Gazette.

Earls Hall windfarm news

The Earls Hall windfarm application was rejected by Tendring District Council on 19th June. The next stage will probably be a public inquiry. Watch this space for further developments.

New page added

We now have a News page, which includes the announcements from this section, sometimes with more detail, and other recent news.

Visit Friends of the Earth's Shop for a great range of green books - information and inspiration to make a real impact.

Page updated 8/5/09