IT was interesting to read your front page article on the proposed Winkleigh biomass plant.
According to Mr Barton of Peninsula Power, the company behind the project, ?traffic movement when fully operational would amount to 40 lorries per day?.
Firstly, I understand that the original figure was 70 lorryloads per day, which of course means 140 lorry movements (they do not stay in the plant they return on to the roads to fetch more loads).
Secondly, the plan is to also have associated businesses on the site such as a bio-ethanol plant; a cellulose fibre plant; and a fin fish plant. Let us assume that these plants add another 40 lorries per day; ie, another 80 lorry movements.
Thirdly, Mr Barton states that 40 people will be employed at the Biomass plant, plus no doubt as many at the other three plants. They will probably all have cars and need catering, office equipment services etc. Let us assume another 200 daily traffic movements from these activities.
Far from ?40 lorries per day? we suddenly have somewhere in the region of 400-plus traffic movements per day. I presume that these extra activities will all be taken into account when Mr Barton does his Environmental Impact Assessment?
And just one final point. The Winkleigh plant will be the biggest in Europe. The website of the smaller plant at Eye in Suffolk states: ?The height of the buildings do not exceed the height of a typical parish church.?
Are 80/90 foot high buildings in the middle of rural Devon what the tourists come to this area to see ?
Alan Newton
Westcots Drive
Winkleigh