Former farmer Peter Falla, 83, made a representation to the inquiry yesterday suggesting more land reclamation for landfill and calling on the States to look ahead more. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0722158)
THE views of 83-year-old former farmer Peter Falla dominated the first morning of the planning inquiry into the future use of reclaimed land at Longue Hougue.
He told it that taking more land there to use as landfill would be far cheaper than building an incinerator. Mr Falla said Guernsey needed to think ahead more.
‘I wrote to The Guernsey Press in 1948 saying that North Beach should be reclaimed, but it was 30 years before they did it,’ he said.
About 15 years ago, the island imported stone from France to build a breakwater at Longue Hougue so that many thousands of tonnes of solid waste could be diverted there from Mont Cuet.
‘Less than £10m. spent on a containment area of land reclaimed from the sea would be preferable to £80m. to £100m. spent on an incinerator,’ said Mr Falla.
‘Remember, an incinerator will have smoke, ash and residue to dispose of on a site close to the island’s bulk oil storage tanks.’
Non-putrescible waste, such as building rubble, should be used for land reclamation or incinerated to make electricity, not forgetting recycling if someone was prepared to buy it.
‘An incinerator will have to be replaced every 20 or 25 years,’ he said. ‘It will leave a millstone around the necks of generations.
‘I recycle, as do a lot of other people, but with the market for recycled goods shrinking, its existence is threatened – just as our tomato industry was before it collapsed.’
Incinerators, like other machines, broke down and had to be serviced regularly, he added.
Environment’s principal forward planning officer Damon Hackley said the purpose of the inquiry was planning and bringing the area in line with strategic policies of the States – not about determining technology.
Planning inspector Ian McPherson asked Mr Falla if he anticipated putrescible waste (such as household waste) going into any reclaimed area.
Mr Falla asked if that could be done if the area was lined with hard-core. Mr McPherson said it was doubtful as it would pose a pollution threat to the sea and nearby fresh water storage quarry.
Article posted on 18th February, 2009 - 2.29pm
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