Shailesh Vara MP continues to support local residents in Huntingdonshire who oppose a planning application for a waste energy recovery facility at the Envar Composting Site in Somersham.
On Tuesday 25th January 2022, County and District Cllr Steve Criswell will be presented with a petition against the planning application by representatives of the action group ‘People Opposing Woodhurst Incinerator’. Following this, Cllr Criswell will be proposing a supporting motion at the meeting of the County Council.
Waste management company Envar has put in a planning application for a Waste Energy Recovery Facility, which will include a 26-metre-high chimney stack at The Heath, Woodhurst.
Reasons for the objections include the height of the chimney stack, increased traffic which will lead to more road congestion, air pollution and increased noise.
There is also much concern about the impact from the plant’s chimney on local farm produce as well as the potential health risk for children attending a nearby nursery and preschool.
A decision on the planning application is expected by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Planning Committee within the next few weeks.
Mr Vara said:
“The proposed application is not suitable for this area and I, along with Cllr Steve Criswell and many other local people, am strongly against it.
“The proposals would mean an increase in plant traffic on already congested roads causing road safety concerns on the B1040 at the Wheatsheaf Crossroads.
“The emissions from the plant’s chimneys could have a major impact on local businesses especially farm produce, which could be contaminated. The incinerator also poses a health risk to young children at a nursery and preschool within close proximity of the site.
“I very much hope that the petition from local residents which Cllr Criswell will be presenting will be given the importance that it deserves and help persuade the planning authority to reject the application.”
Cllr Steve Criswell added:
“My motion to the Council is aimed at drawing attention to the level of public objections to the Envar application and to show support for those concerns. As we have seen from similar applications locally and across the country, there is real concern about the use of incinerators to dispose of waste. Until that national debate is concluded, we should not be allowing any more to be built.”
Shailesh Vara MP recently met with community leaders to discuss their opposition to a proposed development by Newlands in his North West Cambridgeshire constituency.
The proposal is for a development of 4.6 million square feet of warehouses at the intersection of the A1 junction 17 and A605.
Attending the meeting were County and Huntingdonshire District Cllr Simon Bywater and Huntingdonshire District Cllr Marge Beuttell. Also present from Elton Parish Council were Chairman Richard Donoyou and Vice Chairman Richard Smith, from Chesterton Parish Council Chairman Bob Smith and Treasurer Charles Joseland and from Alwalton Parish Council Cllr Gerald Williams.
HDC Cllr Tim Alban was unable to join the meeting but he too opposes the new development.
The meeting was also joined by Mr Kevin Shapland, who is action group coordinator for the villages of Thrapston and Titchmarsh who are opposing a similar development in the neighbouring county of Northamptonshire.
A key element of discussion in the meeting was that the proposal is in direct contravention of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan 2036, which was adopted in May 2019. The Local Plan was approved following an extensive period of public consultation over several years.
There is also concern about the increased traffic that would ensue and its impact on the nearby villages in view of the increased number of journeys by cars and heavy goods vehicles. This would inevitably lead to air pollution and its negative impact on the environment.
Moreover, the size of the warehouses would have a considerable negative visual impact on the local community, especially on the village of Chesterton.
The meeting agreed that there were many compelling reasons to oppose the development and were united in their opposition to it.
The meeting also resolved to raise funds and seek expert advice on the way forward and have appealed to anyone who can help to contact Mr Donoyou.
Following the meeting Mr Vara said:
“I am against this development and will be working closely with the local community who are also against it. The proposal is in breach of the Local Plan which was agreed only two years ago after a very lengthy and expensive consultation process with the public. To now disregard the Local Plan would make a mockery of the whole process.
The arguments against this development are formidable and numerous and they will be robustly put to the Planning Authority.”
Cllr Bywater added: -
“It’s hugely important that our MP has given his full support in objecting to the development being proposed by Newlands. All locally elected representatives from the area are united in objecting to these proposals, which is a major concern for our residents.”
Cllr Marge Beuttell commented: -
"It was a pleasure to meet remotely with our Local MP Shailesh Vara and our Parish Councils. His support for the opposition of the proposed Newlands Development bordering on the villages, of Alwalton, Chesterton and Elton, will give great comfort to our residents and Ward Councillors".
Richard Donoyou said: -
“All our communities recognise this is a fast-changing world, but we have to think carefully through all the implications of major developments. We are very grateful to our MP, Shailesh Vara and our district councillors for making time to consider this very important proposal with us and being mindful of our communities views”.
Bob Smith noted: -
"Building these mega warehouses on the green fields up the side of Chesterton Hill will dominate the local villages and the countryside for miles around. We are delighted our local MP and councillors are supporting us in our opposition to the Newlands scheme.”
Gerald Williams said: -
“We are pleased with the support from our MP, County and District councillors and pleased with the outcome of the meeting. Whilst wishing to support reasonable developments and job creation in the area, we are opposed to this specific development as it does not comply with the local plan and has a number of issues for the Parish.”
Photo: Left to right, beginning with top row, Cllr Marge Beuttell, Charles Joseland, Bob Smith, Karina Bonnett, Cllr Simon Bywater, Gerald Williams, Richard Donoyou, Richard Smith, Shailesh Vara MP and Kevin Shapland.
Recognising that at the start of the pandemic there was evidence that the BAME community was more vulnerable to the virus than other communities, Shailesh Vara asks the Prime Minister if any analysis had been carried out to determine whether or not Omicron behaves in the same way.
Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)
At the start of the pandemic, there was evidence that members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic community were more vulnerable to the covid virus. Has any analysis been carried out to determine whether omicron acts in a similar way? The Prime Minister will appreciate that that is of particular relevance given the significant number of people from the BAME community who work in the health and care sector.
The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)
My hon. Friend asks an extremely important question. I think the answer is that there is currently no evidence, but there is certainly evidence that the different levels of vaccine take-up, and booster take-up in particular, are affecting outcomes.
In reply to a question in Parliament today by Shailesh Vara MP, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said that there is “currently no evidence” that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 affects the BAME community differently to other communities.
During a Statement by the Prime Minister giving an update on Covid-19, Mr Vara said that at the start of the pandemic there was evidence that the BAME community was more vulnerable to the virus than other communities, and he asked if any analysis had been carried out to determine whether or not Omicron behaves in the same way. Mr Vara added that this was particularly relevant in view of the significant number of people from the BAME community working in the health and care sector.
In his reply, the Prime Minister said that there is currently no evidence of any differences. Mr Johnson went on to say however, that there is evidence for different levels of vaccine and booster take up amongst different groups, which is affecting outcomes.
Shailesh Vara MP and Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP at Werrington Tunnel
Shailesh Vara MP today accompanied Chris Heaton-Harris MP, the Minister for Rail at the Department for Transport and Sir Peter Hendy, Chairman of Network Rail on a visit to the newly built Werrington Rail Tunnel in Mr Vara’s constituency of North West Cambridgeshire. Neighbouring MP Paul Bristow also joined the group.
Mr Heaton-Harris officially opened the freight train tunnel, which has been constructed by the East Coast Main Line Enhancements Programme, as it moves into service. The tunnel will provide routes for freight trains to divert under the East Coast Main Line, freeing up capacity on the rail network and cutting congestion for passenger services on the main line through a separation of freight traffic from any high-speed passenger traffic. The tunnel will remove constraints on the timetable by supporting the introduction of two additional long distance high speed services per hour.
Following the visit Mr Vara said:
“I was very pleased to welcome Chris Heaton-Harris to my constituency to view the new two-track railway which will ease congestion for passenger trains and enable the slower freight trains to travel under the East Coast Main Line. The tunnel is an impressive feat of engineering and as it enters into service, it will make a significant difference to ensuring that there is more capacity for passengers on the network. This vital work is a welcome asset to our local railway network.”
Photo: Paul Bristow MP, Sir Peter Hendy, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Shailesh Vara MP and John Smith
Shailesh Vara opens new Care Home at Castor Lodge
Shailesh Vara MP officially opened the new Castor Lodge Care Home in Castor, Peterborough along with Mr Abdul Kachra, Chairman of Country Court, and the Mayor of Peterborough Cllr Stephen Lane.
Mr Vara had a tour of the premises and met with some of the staff and residents.
The new care home has a capacity for some 70 residents, and it provides residential care as well as looking after people suffering from dementia. The home also provides short-term respite care.
The impressive facility includes several restaurants, a film theatre as well as a pub.
Castor Lodge is Country Court’s thirty third care home and it will be their flagship Home as it is located close to the company’s Head Office in Peterborough.
The care home, built on the site of the old Woodlands Sports Centre in Splash Lane, is an important addition to the village and will create 60 new jobs.
Mr Vara said:
“Castor Lodge is a lovely new care home. I was impressed with the facilities available which cater for accommodation as well as residential and social needs.
“Much thought has gone into the design and set up of the care home and it will be a valuable addition for the local area and community.
“I am also very pleased that it will help the local economy with the creation of 60 new jobs.”
Mr Kachra commented:
“We would like to thank our guest of honour Shailesh Vara MP for cutting the ribbon and declaring Castor Lodge Care Home officially open. We are very proud of our latest care home and thank everyone involved in the development and opening. It was wonderful to meet so many people from the local area and receive such positive feedback. As a family-run company, we look forward to Castor Lodge becoming an integral part of the community in Castor, providing the kind of care we’d want all of our loved ones to receive.”
Photo: Mayor of Peterborough Cllr Stephen Lane, Al-Karim Kachra and Abdul Kachra from Country Court and Shailesh Vara MP.
Shailesh Vara MP attended this year’s East of England Farming Conference at the East of England Showground in Peterborough.
The all-day event, organised by Tom Martin, Chairman of the Conference, had several key speakers. These included Lord Benyon, Minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Lord Deben, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change and Professor Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University, London.
Mr Vara visited a number of the stalls at the conference and also met with some of the delegates to speak about issues concerning the local farming community.
The well attended conference had a packed agenda, including sessions on considering the economic and environmental sustainability of plant production products, having additional income through diversification, ways to reduce costs and a session on the art of negotiation.
Following his visit, Mr Vara said:
“This was an important conference for the local and regional farming community and I was very pleased to attend and have the opportunity to meet a number of delegates and local firms.
“My congratulations to Tom Martin and his team for organising a very successful event and for securing such an impressive line-up of high calibre speakers.
“I certainly enjoyed the conference and I’m sure that the other attendees will have done so too. I have no doubt that everyone attending will have found something useful to take away from the various sessions.”
Tom Martin added:
“This has been a fantastic conference with lots of energy in the room. We have had a great many progressive farmers here looking to the future, to ensure that we can produce nutritious food whilst stewarding the environment.
“A big thank you to all our sponsors and delegates who made the event such a success.”
Photo: Shailesh Vara MP and Robert Plumb and Steve Holloway from Soil Fertility Services Ltd, and Tom Martin, Committee Chairman of the East of England Farming Conference.
Speaking in the debate on strengthening standards in public life, Shailesh Vara calls into question influence bought by trade unions citing as an example a Communication Workers Union resolution to support candidates who support their industrial and political aims.
Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)
The hon. Lady will be aware that, earlier this month, a conference held by the Communication Workers Union passed a resolution stating that funding from the union would
“go to specific Labour candidates and campaigns that support CWU industrial and political aims and to support the selection and election of such candidates.”
They may not be direct payments, but it would be naive —[Interruption.]
Madam Deputy Speaker
Order. Shouting at the hon. Gentleman is simply impolite. And laughing at me for saying so is worse. We will have better behaviour, on both sides of the House, please. I call Thangam Debbonaire.
Shailesh Vara
rose—
Madam Deputy Speaker
Oh, I am sorry, I thought the hon. Gentleman had finished. He ought to finish very quickly, because I said we need short interventions.
Shailesh Vara
There may not be direct payment here, but this is obvious, and it would be naive to assume that these would not be wholesale purchases of candidates speaking up for the trade union. Does the hon. Lady agree that that is a form of—[Interruption.] That should not be allowed.
Thangam Debbonaire
For goodness’ sake. The hon. Gentleman said it himself: there is no direct payment to Members there. I am absolutely sure that the Conservative party accepts donations to its campaign costs. The trade union movement is the founding father of the Labour party and it does not buy influence. What it does is support our campaigning, and this is properly investigated and reported.
Shailesh Vara
rose—
Thangam Debbonaire
The hon. Gentleman is going to make another speech, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I will give way.
Madam Deputy Speaker
The hon. Gentleman is not going to make another speech. He is going to make a very short intervention.
Shailesh Vara
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The point I was making is very simple: these people owe their seats in Parliament to the funding of the trade unions and therefore they would be lobbying for the union in every way. This is irrespective of whether they are paid directly or indirectly, with an indirect payment to their associations.
Thangam Debbonaire
I do hope that there are no Conservative Members who have taken donations from anybody at any time, because these are donations to political parties—to political campaigns. They do not go to individuals, as the hon. Gentleman very well knows. He did rather promise that he was not going to make a speech, but it was good of him to explain to me, in case my little lady brain had not got it the first time.