Members of the cultural sector in Dorset are urging Dorset Council decision-makers to take a long-term, environmentally responsible view on the proposed Powerfuel waste incinerator on Portland.
Members of Dorset’s cultural sector are urging the planning committee, who will soon vote on the controversial proposal to build a waste incinerator in the middle of Dorset’s World Heritage Site coastline, to reject the plans.
Highlighted by COP 26 and with world leaders, activists, and representatives of threatened communities from all over the world desperate to find solutions to the devastating threats our planet is facing from the climate crisis, Dorset Council is about to face a true test of its commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral Council.
The incinerator is a private venture, being proposed for a site on the shores of Portland by a commercial company and the location has not been identified as an Allocated Site in Dorset’s Joint Waste Management Strategy. Emissions from the incinerator and increased traffic of HGVs delivering waste to and from Portland will increase pollution and congestion on the island and impact on surrounding areas of Dorset.
Powerfuel, the company responsible for the plan, claim the incinerator will bring considerable economic benefit to Portland. However, it is argued that this benefit is limited to Portland Port itself, with no consideration made of the potential detrimental economic impact on tourism and other local businesses that rely on a clean unpolluted environment.
Members of the cultural sector in Dorset, strong on environmental responsibility and sensitive to the benefits of art and culture to visitors and communities across Dorset, are imploring Dorset Council decision makers to take a long term, environmentally responsible view on this proposal.
This statement is issued and supported by the following organisations working in Dorset’s cultural sector:
b-side
Diverse City
Activate
Dorset Art Weeks
Dorset Visual Arts
Eden Portland/MEMO
Evolver – Wessex Arts & Culture Guide
Cape Farewell
Gobbledegook Theatre
Teatro Vivo
Cleo Evans (Freelance Arts Project Manager)
Rosie Russell (Freelance Arts Project Manager)
You can download the full Letter of Objection below
“We believe the Isle of Portland and Dorset has a future based on working with and enhancing our natural and built heritage. We see such methods as geo-tourism and cultural engagement as exciting solutions to the need for economic regeneration and sustainable living. Cultural organisations across the county are bringing real social, economic, and environmental change to Dorset and we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Portland Port and Dorset Council on establishing development strategies that benefit everyone living in Dorset.
Now is the time to have this conversation, when the whole world is addressing creative and financial solutions that will make our communities the healthiest and happiest they can be.”