Controversy: The proposed incinerator site, on the egde of King's Lynn. Picture: Mike Page

New homes deal put on hold amid questions over whether there’s consensus behind King’s Lynn incinerator

By Chris Bishop Friday, November 18, 2011
4:57 PM

A £1m deal which would have seen more than 100 affordable homes built is being put on hold because Norfolk County Council might need the money to build an incinerator, it emerged today.

Some 155 new houses were due to be built on the Nar Ouse Regeneration Area, in King’s Lynn, in a joint venture with West Norfolk council.

Last night the county council said it was freezing the £1m it had allocated towards the scheme - although the EDP understands the authority has already committed to spending more than £300,000 towards preparatory work on the site.

County Hall said it could not commit to spending the money until it knew whether the government would approve the £169m Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal needed to build an “energy from waste” plant at Saddlebow, on the outskirts of Lynn.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has refused to rubber stamp the deal, saying she is concerned at the strength of opposition towards the plan.

In a statement, the county council said: “The council has to consider the financial implications of all these commitments, bearing in mind the uncertainty over the Waste Infrastructure credits.

“The County Council remains committed to providing £1.5m towards redevelopment at the College of West Anglia, and to its loan for use in Great Yarmouth, but cannot confirm any further expenditure while the risk to WI credits remains.

“However, while the council cannot at the moment commit to the NORA housing project, it has not withddrawn from the project and remains hopeful that the WI credits will soon be confirmed.”

West Norfolk council leader Nick Daubney said he was “disappointed” at the delay, because the scheme involved badly-needed affordable homes.

The EDP understands the county will have to pay its share of money already spent on the NORA houses -which amounts to £336,016.83p.

Norfolk County Council claims the incinerator will save Norfolk millions a year in landfill taxes. Officials are set to meet staff from Mrs Spelman’s office to launch a last-ditch plea for the money.

But opponents question the figures and claim the plant would impact on people’s health and the environment.

And the government’s PFI rules state there must be a broad consensus of support in favour of schemes to qualify for funding.

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26 comments

NCC applied for the PFI funding 2008 using the survey called “Future of Norfolk’s waste” NCC075258 and NCC075259. The survey was focused on Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) at Costessey after the proposed incinerator was shelved. All through the survey it highlighted recycling not incineration. If this is the case surely the PFI credits should be used for MBT. Residents of West Norfolk are not saying they do not want to treat Norfolk’s waste but they have a say in how it is treated. NO chimneys.

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Gordon Brookes

Wednesday, November 23, 2011
NCC knows about nano particles, and other dioxins that are allowed to be emitted from the stack. They say it will be ok because of dispersal models. Tell that to a family that live downwind, has to breathe pollution for a minimum of 25 years. What makes this worse NCC want to build the incinerator but also build more houses all on the prevailing wind of the carcinogenic burning monster. It is ironic that the USA has not allowed an incinerator to be built since 1995 for this reason. The problem with the proposed incinerator is it burns virtually everything. Copenhagen and Vienna have state of the art incinerators. They have MBT facilities in these plants and all recyclable waste is removed. NCC has gone along the line of Stone Age technology. Burn and Kill.

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Danny Jones

Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Nice to see the Government launch their £400m "Get Britain Building" Fund to provide more housing in the UK. Whatever you do Mr Cameron, don't give the money to NCC to look after - they'll just stick it in the pot to buy an incinerator like the funding they are currently pulling on the affordable housing they were meant to pay for in Lynn!

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Fenscape

Monday, November 21, 2011
I am a norfolk boy born and bred, and it makes me ashamed that we have a council in Norwich that tries to bully us, and beat us into submission. What right do our national politicians have to preach democracy to other countries, when our own county council doesn't know what it means. Murphy and Co - you're going down, watch your backs

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Bazza46

Sunday, November 20, 2011
This cannot be right. A million quid for 100 houses which Dennis Pearce says will be sold on for £140,000 each?! Someone will be making a very nice little profit out of this. Where do I sign up to invest some Alecto Pounds? If the paper has got this wrong and there are other bodies putting into the pot for this development with only a minuscule amount coming from the County Council then why don't they just leave the space for the nine houses that the County Council would have paid for and have a playground for the other 91 houses with a plaque on it pointing out why it is there. And a prize for the person who comes up with the most apposite wording. Several candidates spring to mind!

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alecto

Sunday, November 20, 2011
These new “homes” weren’t for Lynn people & they weren’t “affordable”. They want to charge £140,000 for one of these dives with a communal “garden”. BUT a good quality Victorian terraced house with gardens in town is about £90,000. We shall see which needs to be demolished after our next flood. As with the incinerator they can “put it in their pipe and smoke it”.

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Dennis Pearce

Saturday, November 19, 2011
I am feeling terribly left out. If I only played cricket then I too could be a spiteful monster and take my bat home too.

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alecto

Saturday, November 19, 2011
I'm still waiting for the moderator to wake up and approve a post I made earlier but in case it doesn't appear, I would like to point out the following; the Councillor who covers the NORA site is twin-hatter David Harwood. What's the betting that he will be firmly following the county line over and above his role on Lynn council??

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Fenscape

Saturday, November 19, 2011
I can agree with the words of Ms. Adair,'“Bullying will never go away and we won’t ever stop it. However, by taking a range of measures we know we can reduce it. Everyone in Norfolk takes bullying very seriously.” Those NCC members there must have been biting their tongue's, for not baring witness to the incessant and reported bullying they are under. I can warmly feel for their needs to be heard as the authority that speaks out against bullying, may it echo around NCC and within the ears of certain councillors. At maximum volume. There is more behind it than just a stoic power hungry bully, and it will come out once this backward burner is axed. Inform your councillors that you do not agree with incineration it is not part of the waste strategy.

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ingo wagenknecht

Saturday, November 19, 2011
On 14th November, NCC launched Norfolk's Anti-Bullying Week. At the time, I thought that this was slighly ironic as Cllr Derrick Murphy in the space of six months was the subject of complaints by two of his colleagues alleging bullying. That aside, is not this decision a form of bullying? Drop your objection to the incinerator or there will be no money for affordable housing

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Nemesis

Saturday, November 19, 2011
Peter J - Whatever happened to your e-mail about gulags and ice-picks - it had a very brief airing! I should complain.

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maryjane

Saturday, November 19, 2011
Fenscape, it's not just spite, it is a threat! I am told all district councils are being asked to write to Spelman to prove consensus what Murphy is saying to them, loud and clear, is if you dont back us you wont get any money!

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Canary Boy

Saturday, November 19, 2011
If I lived over in West Norfolk I would be trying to find out how far our council can withdraw from Norfolk County Council. I would not want a penny of my rates being paid into the corrupt coffers of county hall to be spent on a whim by that shameless handful of people on the cabinet. They have been treated in an disgraceful way and yet, most of, the rest of Norfolk are quite happy to let this happen. NEVER will I vote conservative again, I will not stand by and let ordinary decent people be treated in this despicable manner.

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Wymondham boy

Saturday, November 19, 2011
By the way This hasn’t gone through any NCC committee or been agreed by elected members as far as I am aware. Just another example of how Mr Murphy and his mates decide all and the other members just bow their heads to their adored leader and say "yes Sir, whatever you say Sir, should I lick your boots now or later Sir." In my opinion West Norfolk are being openly punished for their stance against the incinerator. The other benefit of this appauling behaviour is that they are being made an example of so that other district councils will quake in their boots and comply with NCC's instruction to write to Spelman and prove consensus for the project. Did you know that we are the major contributors to the Norfolk Infrastructure Fund (NIF), and NIF has just allocated £2m to be used to build affordable houses in Gt. Yarmouth? I think it is time to write to Pickles, yes I have heard that he is a friend of Mr Murphy, but he is also a Minister and if the tactics being used by NCC are totally above their remit I believe he will have to reign them in regardless of personal feelings. After all he will not want to jeopardise his own position in government will he? The conservatives have too much power in Norfolk, come the next election this situation MUST change.

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Joy, King's Lynn

Saturday, November 19, 2011
Bribery and cor ruption. Well I never what a surprise!! Is Murphy not saying stop making that nasty Spelman withold our money OR we will not let you have your money, nah, nah, nah. I would think, after looking at the housing plans for Norwich, many people in Norwich will be backing us over here in the hope that you may withdraw funding for the 37000 planned homes there as well.

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Joy, King's Lynn

Saturday, November 19, 2011
NCC has already committed 300.000 to develop the site, without linking the incinerator to this affordable homes development, so NCC has shown that this latest decision is merely reactionary kicking out at the people and administartion of Kings Lynn, for not playing his rough ball. Ms. Spelmann should now put an end to this story once and for all and the ombudsman should be petitioned to have Cllr.'s Murphy and Borrett removed from their posts, because this spitefull arbitrariness of their decisions is costing us dearly. Should we link cllr. pension remunerations to their performance in office? would such a measure make for more pragmatic and informed cllr.'s and decision making?

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ingo wagenknecht

Saturday, November 19, 2011
Kings lynn must be punished for not toeing the party line, all hail the rulers from NCC, what a joke.

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Steve33

Friday, November 18, 2011
Have submitted an FOI request to Breckland to find out what Cllr William Nunn has been saying in letters to Caroline Spelman and he mails he has sent on the incinerator subject will share with Chris Bishop the response.

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The Bin Man

Friday, November 18, 2011
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT ON. HOW CAN THIS COUNCIL TREAT THE ELECTORATE LIKE THIS? HOW WILL THEY EXPLAIN TO CAROLINE SPELMAN THE CONCENSUS FOR THE INCINERATOR WHEN THEY TREAT US LIKE THIS? TO THINK THESE PEOPLE LIVE AMONG US!

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gardener

Friday, November 18, 2011
Isn't it amazing what spiteful, nasty little people "represent" us in the council?! The government should start looking into the dirty dealings of Murpholk County Council

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Norfolk and Good

Friday, November 18, 2011
PS: I wonder what Cllr Harwood has to say about all of this - I believe this directly affects his own ward? Maybe there's a nice fence in South Lynn that he can sit on while he's pondering who he's more scared of - his electorate, or his boss?

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Fenscape

Friday, November 18, 2011
This is an act of spite and spite alone on behalf of NCC. What are they trying to say here as it appears to simply be a vengeful act upon the people of Lynn? What made this particular project more or less attractive than the possible axing of any other on their list? The great news is that in the extremely unlikely event that the incinerator is ever built then no-one will want to live in these houses anyway as they will be directly on it's doorstep, with ash blowing around and a non-stop line of dustcarts just around the corner..... I for one, applaud NCC for inadvertantly recognising that fact; with a PR department like theirs, who needs enemies?,This is an act of spite and spite alone on behalf of NCC. What are they trying to say here as it appears to simply be a vengeful act upon the people of Lynn? What made this particular project more or less attractive than the possible axing of any other on their list? The great news is that in the extremely unlikely event that the incinerator is ever built then no-one will want to live in these houses anyway as they will be directly on it's doorstep, with ash blowing around and a non-stop line of dustcarts just around the corner..... I for one, applaud NCC for inadvertantly recognising that fact; with a PR department like theirs, who needs enemies??

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Fenscape

Friday, November 18, 2011
Can someone actually explain to me who in County Hall took the decision to freeze this payment? Was it the full Council, was it the Cabinet or was it just Cllr Derrick Murphy himself? Where is the decision minuted? Has there been any opportunity for scrutiny if, in fact, it was taken by the Cabinet.? And the timing really smacks of "tit-for-tat".

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Nemesis

Friday, November 18, 2011
The people of King's Lynn and West Norfolk obviously deserve to be punished for objecting so successfully to a costly and threatening waste incinerator project. They clearly need to watch out. Cllr Derrick Murphy and his mob have taken to the mattresses.

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John Martin

Friday, November 18, 2011
The W.I. bake lovely cakes and are brilliant about the house, give them the credits they are due! How can the feud between councils be resolved?

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bedoomed

Friday, November 18, 2011
May want to review that headline...

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merrydancer

Friday, November 18, 2011