Eternit and the Council - is it Fair?

The council's planning development committee will be meeting tonight to discuss the Eternit proposal.

Council officers have considered the proposal and will be recommending it goes through given that certain conditions are accepted by the developers.

The Derby Road Residents Association (DRRA) is very concermed that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) has not taken place prior to a decision being made about the proposal. The DRRA has been questioning the council about the reasons why it is going ahead without carrying out such an assessment. The council has to date not responded to these requests.

The Green Party too has been in contact with the council about it's concerns regarding the proposal and has requested that among other things an EIA ought be carried out before any decisions are made regarding the matter.

I am unsure of council procedures but think it unfair that the council have not been able to provide the DRRA with their reasoning regarding it not being necessary for an EIA to be carried out before the proposal is considered. If they had provided such information the DRRA would have been in a better position at tonight's council meeting to argue their case.

It could well be that on balance the council's arguments outweigh those of the DRRA's and that taking everything into consideration that the proposal provides the safest way to deal with the asbestos contamination. Let's face it this proposal, if it goes ahead, will cost the council tax payer less than it would if the council had to deal with the site in the future. But Derby Road residents should be given the opportunity to argue their case fairly for their sakes and our's.

The meeting tonight is at Runcorn Town Hall at 6.30pm - please attend if you can. Its important that the council are made aware of people's concerns about the issue. It could well be that the DRRA might legally challenge a decision for the proposal to go ahead if such were made tonight - so its important for local democracy that as many people go along to the meeting to show the extent of feeling about the matter.