RATTs hit streets to protest Forth Energy plans
The Residents Against Tay Turbines campaign group made their final stand at the weekend against a proposed biomass plant in the Port of Dundee.
RATTs campaigners in City Square.
- By Graeme Bletcher
- Published in the Courier : 20.09.10
- Published online : 20.09.10 @ 03.21pm
A party of six demonstrators took to the City Square on Saturday to warn shoppers about the impact of the wind turbine and biomass plant development and distribute the last of 7000 objection letters.
RATTs spokesman Bob Adam said the demonstration would be the last action until the Scottish Government has made a final decision on the plans from Forth Energy for the site at King George V Wharf.
He said, "Today is all about spreading the message in the city centre and collecting as many signatures as we can to pass on to Holyrood. We have had to go and get an extra 2000 letters printed up, having gone through 5000 already.
"This is really is a huge issue for Dundee. We can only do our best now to let the public know what is coming to their city and give them a final chance to have their say."
Three large billboards printed by the group were on display and all members of the group wore T-shirts bearing the slogan "There is nothing green about this plant."
One of the signs showed the city's former Carolina Port power station, claiming that the proposed biomass plant would be around three times larger.
Mr Adam said, "Forth Energy have been very economic with the truth and have failed to answer specific points that we have raised with them.
"They have not mentioned anything about the potential impact of so many HGVs coming in and out of the plant and have not mentioned the fact that it will be used as a waste incinerator."
Completed objection letters collected by RATTS will be taken to Holyrood by courier by Thursday to be considered by Scottish ministers as part of the approval process for the plant.
Plans for the biomass plant were lodged with the Scottish Government around a month ago by Forth Energy, the company behind the development.
It will be the Scottish Government rather than Dundee City Council that has the final say on the project.
Forth Energy plan to build similar plants in Grangemouth, Rosyth and Leith.
- Want more? Click for the full background to the Forth Energy plan.
08.52am - 21.09.2010 Dundoniensis - Dundee, UK Report This
Well done. Counterbalancing the V&A/marina on one side with two vast turbines and a biomass incerator on the other makes no sense. Biomass is not in any way green...it creates huge amounts of CO2 and the shipping of wood or waste to the site is also polluting. Utterly daft and it needs rejected.
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