Fears over hospital wood burner plan

NHS pen pushers boob - on health impact

A bid to heat a hospital with a wood burning system has backfired . . . after mandarins didn’t even say what impact it would have on health.

The giant biomass plant is planned to reduce the heating and hot water costs at Ayr Hospital.

Health chiefs want to build it between a geriatric ward and a childrens nursery.

Laughably the blundering bosses failed to consider how the fumes would affect the young and old just yards away.

Now the application has been thrown out by South Ayrshire Council.

The combined heat and power plant will use wood pellets and have two 91feet high chimneys.

Planners revealed insufficient information has been given that the development will not have a significant harmful effect on residential amenity as a result of effect on air quality and noise.

Silos and a generator will be surrounded by a near 15- foot high fence which is designed to try and cut down on the noise.

At the moment the near 5000 square feet spot is rough ground used for parking.

But a planning official has now told senior staff: “The application proposals have not demonstrated that there will be no negative impact on air quality.

“The consultation response received from Environmental Health highlights that inadequate information has been submitted with the application to allow a full assessment of the effect of the biomass boiler on local air quality and noise.

“There is insufficient information to demonstrate emissions to air from the biomass boiler and the noise levels generated will not expose significant numbers of people to unacceptable levels of air and noise pollution. The proposal is therefore contrary to policy.

“Inadequate information has been submitted to demonstrate that the proposal will not have a significant harmful effect on residential amenity.”

NHS Ayrshire and Arran director John Wright said the boiler will help meet environmental targets and reduce CO2 as well as deliver savings on heating.

He added: “We are continuing to work with our technical advisers and South Ayrshire Council to provide the requested environmental information in support of this key infrastructure development.”