East Winch Action Group - East Winch, Norfolk
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  • East Winch Action Group - East Winch, Norfolk
  • (Environment, Public, Health, Welfare)
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  • "Why this website?"NO MORE QUARRIES IN EAST WINCH AND WEST BILNEY!East Winch is a village set in beautiful unspoilt countryside where until recently, we enjoyed a relatively peaceful existence. It is also one of many Norfolk villages affected by Norfolk County Council's (NCC) Plan to identify over 100 new sites for mineral extraction.This means new Quarries! Loads of them!They are also looking for sites for Waste Allocation to meet future needs -That means new rubbish dumps in and around Norfolk! Loads of them!NCC are looking to meet an annual quota set by the government for mineral extraction. So they contacted local landowners (without the resident's knowledge) and asked them to put sites forward for consideration.This has resulted in the Minerals Site Allocations Issues and Options Document, and the Waste Site Allocations Issues and Options Document being published.We are now in what has been called a consultation period. We were granted an extension on the original deadline of 28 March 2008 when a concerned resident noticed a sign whilst out walking his dog and spoke to the local Parish Council. A meeting was then arranged with the council and the extension to 25th April 2008 was granted.The next stage will be selection of "Preferred Sites" and Planning Applications being drawn up.We don't want to wait until then. "Why Should I Care?" ...The answer is blowing in the wind!We are raising awareness of this issue as a considerable number of the proposed sites are so close to existing villages that they would detrimentally affect our health, our economic wellbeing, our way of life and the future inheritance of Norfolk families and people living in Norfolk.What's the big deal?A significant number of large sites locally have been identified for silica sand extraction. Some are being proposed now such as MIN 40 (Land to the East of Grandcourt Farm). Some already have current planning permission, including the area immediately to the west of MIN 40 (which we didn't know about at all until recently) and others to the north of the village are already in operation."All I need is the air that I breathe."The Health and Safety Executive have published a document which states:“Breathing in the very fine dust of crystalline silica can leadto the development of silicosis. This involves scarring ofthe lung tissue and can lead to breathing difficulties.Exposure to very high concentrations over a relativelyshort period of time can cause acute silicosis, resulting inrapidly progressive breathlessness and death within a fewmonths of onset.”www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cis36.pdf"Another one bites the dust."Report On Carcinogens, 11th Edition - ExtractsSilica, Crystalline (Respirable size) "is known to be a human carcinogen"."The link between human lung cancer and exposure to Respirable crystalline silica was strongest in studies of quarry and granite workers...""Residents near quarries and sand and gravel operations are potentially exposed to respirable crystalline silica."“The findings in humans are supported by studies in experimental animals demonstrating consistent increases in lung cancers in rats chronically exposed to respirable crystalline silica by inhalation orintratracheal instillation.”“Single intrapleural or intraperitoneal injections of various forms of respirable crystalline silica caused lymphomas in rats (IARC 1997).”“Respirable crystalline silica deposited in the lungs causes epithelial injury and macrophage activation, leading to inflammatory responses and cell proliferation of the epithelial and interstitial cells.In humans, respirable crystalline silica persists in the lungs, culminating in the development of chronic silicosis, emphysema, obstructive airwaydisease, and lymph node fibrosis.”What's the Local Impact?We are currently focusing on a site immediately next to the village designated by the council as MIN 40. Further excavations such as that proposed at MIN 40 will only increase
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