neath port talbot county borough council planning officers fast track and approve gas plant site on same site after judicial review win for people of cilfrew
councillors decide at port talbot civic centre 2 pm tuesday 15th may
the people of cilfrew ready to go back to court in the event of democracy not being seen to take place

on tuesday 15th may 2007 neath port talbot county borough council will again determine the applications ( p/2006/0788 & p/2006/08450) for a high pressure gas reduction station at cilfrew part of the milford haven to aberdulais (cilfrew) and felindre to tirley controversial 4 feet diameter - 94 bar pressure gas pipeline. a site visit which was voted on 24th april 2007 before the consultation period end of 9th may 2007 will take place at 11.30 am on the same day.

the original decisions on these applications were quashed by justice collins at the high court of justice in london on 30th march 2007 due to ratepayer councillors not voting after being badly advised by officers of the council.

the planning officers of neath port talbot have again approved the applications and it is now up to the councillors of neath port talbot council planning committee to protect the people of cilfrew, aberdulais, cadoxton, tonna, bryncoch and rhos from danger and evacuation should any problem occur with this highly contentious above ground pressure reduction station. at the recent gas explosion in basildon essex (april 18th 2007) when a lower bar , lower size pipe exploded and a pressure reduction station of a far smaller size was in danger an exclusion zone of 2 miles had to be evacuated. this plant is within 2 miles of thousands of people.

the people of cilfrew fought for an extra mile away from all these villages and a mile further away from their own village instead of the 600 metres they have with the present application. justice collins stated at the high court in london at the judicial review that this was not an unreasonable request. national grid and nacap land & marine their agents have declined to move the plant another mile and protect the people of this area.

the cilfrew colliery which closed in 1933 runs 80 feet below the proposed site of the gas plant and above the village of cilfrew. the ecology of the area has been so badly damaged by the contractors that last week bowsers had to be brought in to the farmland surrounding the site where thousands of gallons of water have been drained off weekly since january. farm animals had no water as their watering ditches are all dried up. where has the water gone. into the old mine workings towering over the village of cilfrew? no hydrology report has ever been undertaken on this site.

the people of cilfrew now call for the councillors of neath port talbot to use the power of democracy to protect not only the people of cilfrew but the surrounding area from catastrophe.