It seems as if there is an epidemic of short-sightedness travelling around our councils at the moment. Firstly, the development at Sholden and secondly, Kent County Council’s decision to close the Household Waste Centre (HWC) at Richborough.
We must realise, of course, that money is all that motivates most of these decisions even if action to save money now will cost more in the long term. In this case it is not only money that will be the cost. Imagine all those extra miles that waste will have to travel when it is first taken to Deal and then back to Richborough once the Green Energy Park is operational. How marvellous that we are going to have a Green Energy Park but the shine is dulled somewhat by the knowledge of all the extra carbon generated with waste being transported backwards and forwards.
Of course, this is future transportation – what about the extra transportation that will be incurred by the Sandwich residents when their nearest HWC is here in Deal? Not only will they have further to travel, they will probably have to queue up to access the facilities in Southwall Road, causing more traffic chaos in an already congested area.
A more immediate effect of losing a HWC nearby is an escalation of fly-tipping when people will dump their rubbish in any convenient place rather than drive the extra miles to the HWCs at Deal or Margate.
When will commonsense reign once more over council decisions?
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