PROTECT HILBRE ISLAND AND THE DEE ESTUARY

News on the campaign to
PROTECT HILBRE ISLAND
AND THE DEE ESTUARY
FACT #1:
FACT #2:
FACT #3:
There can be no drilling or
exploration for fossil fuels under
Hilbre Island and the Dee
Estuary without the permission
of Wirral Council.
All four parties on the Council Conservative, Green, Liberal
Democrat and Labour - oppose
exploiting this special area for
fossil fuels.
The Dee Estuary, including
Hilbre Island, has one of the
highest levels of environmental
protection and is a ’Site of
Special Scientific Interest’.
‘MISLEADING’
CAMPAIGN
SLAMMED BY
LOCAL MP
UNDERGROUND
COAL GASIFICATION
- WHAT IS IT?
MERSEYSIDE LABOUR is desperate to win Wirral West. That’s why they
are trying to scare local people into voting for them. They tried it at the
last election when they (falsely) told pensioners in Wirral West that
their Winter Fuel Payments would be scrapped by the Conservatives.
Local MP and West Kirby resident, Esther
McVey, has slammed their latest campaign: to
scare people into thinking that the Dee
Estuary is about to be destroyed in the race to
make the UK less dependent on fuels from
Russia.
Esther said: “The Dee Estuary, and Hilbre
Island in particular, are some of our most
well-protected environments.
“The licences for UCG covers vast parts of
the UK. There are many sites within that
area that are protected and those
protections remain.
“Hilbre Island has the added protection of being
owned by the Council. So the only way that it,
and the surrounding area could be exploited is
if the Labour Council votes for it!”
Volunteers, including the Chairman of the
committee that protects HIlbre Island, Jeff
Green, and Esther McVey MP, are seen here
on a litter pick organised by the Marine
Conservation Society at West Kirby beach.
Underground coal gasification (UCG) is
an industrial process, which converts
coal into product gas. UCG is carried out
in non-mined coal seams using injection
of oxidants, and bringing the product
gas to surface through production wells
drilled from the surface.
The technique can be applied to
resources that are otherwise too
expensive or technically complicated to
extract by traditional mining methods,
and it also offers an alternative to
conventional coal mining methods for
some resources. Power produced from
UCG has lower levels of pollution than
natural gas.
SO HILBRE AND THE
DEE - WHY HERE?
Its not. The Coal Authority granted
licences covering large parts of the UK
to companies to see if UCG is feasible.
The licences do not override existing
protections and powers such as
planning controls and environmental
protections. Hilbre Island and the Dee
Estuary have some of the highest levels
of environmental protection anywhere in
the UK. Other parts of the UK - such as
parts of Cumbria and the Firth of Forth which don’t have these protections - and
which have known reserves of difficult to
reach coal - are a much better prospect
for UCG. Cluff NR, the company granted
the licence are concentrating on those
areas, not West Kirby!
STILL WORRIED? SEE PAGE TWO..
News on the campaign to
PROTECT HILBRE ISLAND
AND THE DEE ESTUARY
LICENSE HOLDER
SAYS NO!
“Cluff Natural Resources would need
planning approval to undertake any
drilling of the Estuary, and no
application has been made”
Algy Cluff - Chairman and Chief Executive,
Cluff Natural Resources Ltd.
Letter to Esther, 7th April 2014.
MARINE SOCIETY
SAYS NO!
On the issue of the potential for
development of Underground Coal
Gasification in the Dee Estuary. UCG
could not be consented to unless it had
passed strict rules under the EU
Habitats Directive. It would also need
to abide with the following EU
Directives: Environmental Impact
Assessment Directive; Strategic
Environmental Assessment Directive;
Water Framework Directive and
Integrated Pollution Prevention and
Control Directive.”
...AND WIRRAL
COUNCIL SAYS ‘NO’
ALL OF Wirral’s Councillors, including your three local councillors, John
Hale, Gerry Ellis and Eddie Boult are united in saying they would never
support UCG in the Dee.
In an all-party vote, that was agreed by all
councillors, Wirral Council has pledged not to
support UCG.
The Chairman of the committee that maintains
and protects Hilbre Island is Conservative Group
Leader, Councillor Jeff Green. He dismissed the
controversy as a “scaremongering campaign.”
Jeff said: “I know some people have been
alarmed by the Labour Party leaflets. Hilbre
Island and the Dee Estuary are a Special Area of
Conservation and Dee Estuary Special Protection
Area - a network of protected sites stretching
across Europe.
“They are covered by the Conservation of
Habitats and Species Regulations which also
protects the Dee Estuary.” he said.
“And, to cap it all, they are also protected
through national legislation under Countryside
and Rights of Way Act as a Site of Special
Scientific Interest.”
Meanwhile, the Council’s Senior Director, Kevin
Adderley, has confirmed that, since the Town
Hall voted against UCG, no planning application
has been discussed, let alone submitted by the
license holder, Cluff Natural Resources
Jeff added: “Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate
either knows all this but doesn’t want to mention
it or she doesn’t know it and hasn’t bothered to
find out. Perhaps she would also like to tell us if
a Labour Government led by Ed Miliband would
revoke the UCG Licences. On so many important
issues, Labour has no answer or doesn’t want to
say what they would do instead.”
We say ‘No’ to UCG:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Esther McVey MP
Cllr John Hale
Cllr Gerry Ellis
Cllr Eddie Boult
Keep up to date with this issue:
If you want the facts, not the fiction or scaremongering from Labour, sign up here for updates
from Esther and the team. Unlike others, we won’t use your details for Party political campaigns
or share your details with anyone else!
Melissa Moore, Senior Policy Officer, Marine
Conservation Society
Email to Esther McVey 25th April
Your name:
ENERGY MINISTER
SAYS NO!
Your home
address:
Your email:
“No Underground coal gasification
operations can take place until the
licensee has satisfied the preconditions set out in the licence, this
includes planning consent,
environmental permission and the
consent of the Health and Safety
Executive.
“YES, SO WE’RE
ALL AGAINST IT,
BUT WHAT ‘IF’..?”
Rt. Hon. Michael Fallon MP, Minister of State,
Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Letter to Esther 29th March 2014
HEALTH & SAFETY
SAYS NO!
“The HSE has received no such
notification.”
Keven Myers - Chief Executive
Health and Safety Executive
Letter to Esther 25th April 2014
If Cluff Natural Resources decided there was chance of extracting gas
at an affordable price from the Dee Estuary, they would have to:





Obtain permission from the Environment Agency
Obtain consent from the Health & Safety Executive
Prove it doesn’t conflict with environmental regulations
Submit a planning application and have it passed by councillors
Obtain permission from the landowner (the council!)...
ESTHER: I WILL NEVER SUPPORT UCG HERE!
Promoted by Vince Morris on behalf of Esther McVey, both at 24 Meols Drive, Hoylake CH47 4AN. Printed by
Return to: Esther McVey MP, FREEPOST LV7945, 24 Meols Drive, Hoylake CH47 1BR
or email: [email protected]

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