Port of Tyne Biofuel Handling Facility.
While we were presenting the Petition about UK Docks site in River Drive at the Town Hall it came to our notice that a planning application for the expansion of the Port of Tyne’s Biomass Facility was going before the Planning Committee the following Monday. Incidentally this application went through on the nod*.
When coal was king the waterways were put to use.
Even if a good case can be made for converting coal fired generating stations to biofuel/biomass it does not make economic sense to choose the Tyne for transshipping the very large amounts of biomass needed to replace coal for generating electricity the Trent and Ouse valleys.
The Port of Tyne could not extend their River Quay to join up with the site of the new silos, former Mcnulty’s yard, until the rights of way to Readhead’s Landing were removed and the ship repair business using the Tyne Dock slipway was found a new home. There is a page with some details of this located in theharbourview.co.uk/ukd-shed.
*Arguments for: building it would provide lots of jobs and there was a favourable piece in the Shields Gazette. Long since gone but mentioned lots of Jobs.
Arguments against: only one and it was ruled out of order by the Chairman of the Committee. Cllr John Woods who is also a ward councillor of Beacon and Bents where the new slipway cover was built without permission.
Some Links
Dirtier Than Coal publication by RSPB, Friends of the Earth & GreenPeace