The controversial issue of the Crumlin Burrows incinerator near Swansea was highlighted in a European Parliamentary debate today (Monday, 22nd October) when Welsh MEP Jill Evans called for public participation in the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment.
Addressing the Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg the all Wales Euro-MP demanded that the public should be involved in drawing up future plans on environmental issues such as air quality, hazardous waste, packaging, landfill of waste and the protection of waters against pollution.
The Leader of Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales in the European Parliament has been a strong opponent of the proposed incinerator from the start, and in her address to Parliament Jill Evans MEP said:
"The right of the public to have a say in environmental decisions is becoming increasingly important. Effective public participation increases accountability and transparency and helps to give legitimacy to the decisions taken.
"Consultation with the public must not be restricted in a way which would in practise make it meaningless. For example, in Swansea in my constituency, a local authority is building an incinerator on the border of their county, but only consulted their own constituents and not those in the neighbouring county, many more of whom live close to the site and who are now protesting vigorously against the plans. This situation is totally unacceptable and we need legislation to prevent it from happening."
Ms Evans, who is Wales’ only member of the Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy Committee added:
"Information must also be made available in a reasonable time frame to give people the chance to express their comments and opinions before decisions are made. When decisions such as these are taken the public's views must always be taken into account."
Voting on the proposals on a directive on providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment will take place tomorrow (Tuesday, 23rd October).
Diwedd/Ends.
