When
it was first considered by Dundee City Council I moved that the council’s position
should be to object to it to allow a public inquiry to be heard, but a majority
of councillors voted to defer a decision until more information was available
about its impact on public health and the environment. When it came back to the council I seconded the motion that resulted in the council formally objecting
to the plant.
My
concerns about a biomass of this size at the port were in respect of health and visual
impact. Dundee already has issues with air quality standards and from the evidence
presented to councillors it seemed to me that this was likely to be exacerbated
by a biomass plant.
The
large buildings would have had a significant impact on the appearance of the
city, particularly in such close proximity to the waterfront project. The
regeneration of the waterfront is forecast to generate a lot of jobs for the
local economy and V&A Dundee is expected to provide a magnet for business
and tourism. I didn’t think it was worth taking the risk of putting any of this
at jeopardy.
I’m
sure that the many hundreds of people who raised concerns about the biomass
will be pleased at this outcome.
