As my regular readers will testify, I don’t often write about serious subjects.  That’s because, in the sage words of Alan Davies in the Abbey National adverts, ‘life’s complicated enough’.

However, I need to talk about something.  The observant amongst you will probably have figured out that I live somewhere in Northamptonshire.

Indeed, I’ve always lived in Northants except for a brief sojourn when I headed over the border to University.  My home, and my heart, belong firmly in the Rose of the Shires.

That’s why it saddens me to have to tell you about the latest plan to destroy our little corner of England.

There is a hare-brained scheme – I mean planning application – for a ‘resource recovery park’ off Gretton Brook Road.  A resource recovery park is another name for a waste plant – and, ironically enough, we already have something similar within a mile from this proposed site.

The stench from the existing plant is, at times, unbearable.  I’m a regular caller to the Environment Agency helpline to complain, so much so I feel we’re on first name terms and close to inclusion on Christmas card lists!

‘Can you describe the smell?’ is one of the questions I get asked.  ‘Well, it’s like a mixture between Marmite and nail varnish remover.  I can even smell it in the house and it makes me feel sick’ is my reply. 

Then there are the flies – I know in the summer you expect the odd house fly to invade your home, but the plagues we have to cope with are ridiculous.  My mother purchased me one of those tennis racquet fly squats with the electric current running through it from a well-known discount store (Poundland) and I’m getting so adept I could well train for the ladies’ Davis cup team.

However, the biggest irony is that in order to create this so-called new ‘green’ resource recovery park they’re going to destroy acres of woodland – trees that have been there for many years and that are home to a variety of wildlife.  I’m no Bill Oddie, but there are significant numbers of deer, red kite, and other birds which call this area home.

When there are literally hundreds of brownfield sites lying empty, why are they planning to put this here and destroy these trees?  It simply doesn’t make any sense to me or the other 600 people (approx) who’ve signed an online petition about it.

For more information, or to sign the petition, please visit the following link.  Thank you.

http://www.change.org/petitions/corby-borough-council-say-no-to-brookfield-resource-recovery-park-2