Different plans across UK to ease lockdown rules
PLANS to ease Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in the UK vary across Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The differences have been particularly thrown into relief this week following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday outlining England’s socalled “roadmap” out of lockdown.
On this side of the border, Wales entered a national lockdown on December 20 – the earliest of any nation in the UK.
Two months on and its youngest pupils, aged three to seven, began a phased return to classrooms, as of the start of this week.
From March 15, all primary school pupils, as well as older age groups in years 11 and 13 who have exams, could also return if the country’s public health situation continues to improve.
Meanwhile, First Minister Mark Drakeford said on Friday that stayat-home restrictions in Wales could be eased in three weeks’ time.
Minor changes to the rules on Saturday also now allow up to four people from two households to exercise together outdoors.
In England, Boris Johnson has announced that pupils in all year groups can go back to the classroom from March 8, with outdoor after-school sports and activities also allowed to restart.
People in England will be permitted to have socially distanced one-toone meetings with others outdoors in a public space.
And are home residents will be allowed a single visitor from this date, with visitors required to take a lateral flow test and wear personal protective equipment.
Larger groups will allowed to gather i parks and gardens from March 29.
England’s “rule of six” will return, along with new be n measures allowing two households, totalling no more than six people, to meet. Outdoor organised sport will also return.
From April 12 at the earliest, Boris Johnson has said England’s shops, hairdressers, nail salons, libraries, outdoor attractions and outdoor hospitality venues such as beer gardens will be allowed to reopen.
He also said that two households, or groups of up to six people, will be allowed to mix indoors and limited crowds will be allowed at sporting events from May 17. And all remaining restrictions on social contact could be lifted from June 21, allowing for larger events to go ahead and nightclubs to reopen.
In Scotland, like Wales the youngest children also returned to their classrooms on Monday as schools reopened to more pupils.
Children between the ages of four and eight in primaries one to three were due back along with some senior secondary pupils who need to do practical work for qualifications.
Scotland has been in national lockdown since January 5.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon this week said Scotland’s route out of lockdown would be “broadly similar” to the UK Government’s.
And in Northern Ireland lockdown restrictions were introduced on December 26, and have been extended to April 1 by The Stormont Executive.
First Minister Arlene Foster said a “decisionmaking framework” on how the executive plans to exit lockdown would be published on March 1.
Primary school pupils in year groups P1 to P3 will return to face-toface learning on March 8, followed by secondary pupils in key exam years, year groups 12 to 14, on March 22.
The number of people able to gather outdoors will also increase from six to 10, from no more than two households, from
March 8.
PLANS for a 500kw biomass boiler on a South Wales industrial estate look set for approval.
The application from Rapidgrid Ltd proposes to build a new building to house the biomass boiler, woodchip storage area and an office extension on Sixteenth Avenue on Hirwaun Industrial Estate.
Planning officers at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council have recommended the plans for approval with the planning committee set to discuss the application on Thursday.
The application was first reported to the committee on December 17, 2020, where it was resolved to defer the determination of the application to a future meeting to enable officers to receive final comments from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and await the outcome of a direction from Welsh Government.
Since that meeting, NRW has viewed the boiler specification submitted by the applicant and confirmed it has no objections to the proposal.
The Welsh Government has also issued a decision confirming the application will not be called in for determination by ministers and the direction issued is cancelled so it can now be determined by the council.
There was one letter of objection to the application which raised concern about the scale of the proposed building and the biomass boiler.
The letter said the boiler will necessitate a big flue to release emissions which will produce and disperse air borne pollutants over the surrounding area and over residents who have the misfortune to live nearby, and will impact on the health of many residents.
It also highlighted the proliferation of proposed developments on a small site like Hirwaun Industrial Estate and said that sooty deposits will fall on everything in its path dirtying clean washing and windowsills and odours, smell and smoke will also pervade homes and linger on clothes and washing.
The letter said there is a potential fire hazard with emissions, and proximity of boiler to highly flammable businesses nearby.
It said: “Residents have experienced many weary years of enduring various factories and sites that have been through planning applications and permissions and then have abandoned/ignored regulations – problems include a previous biomass boiler causing odour and sooty fallout, lack of filtration and ventilation, problems with HGVs, wagons and trailers from the industrial estate using our residential road as a shortcut.”
Finally, it queried how the proposal fits in with the Wales Well Being of Future Generations Act (2015).
But officers said in the planning report that the proposal is considered to be acceptable.
They said: “The proposed buildings are considered to be of an acceptable scale and design and are in-keeping with the existing buildings at the site and within the wider industrial estate.
“It is therefore not considered that the proposal would have an adverse impact upon the character and appearance of the site or the surrounding area.
“Furthermore, the proposed buildings are a sufficient distance away from nearby residential properties to ensure that they would not have a detrimental impact up their amenity (in terms of being overbearing or resulting in any overshadowing) and privacy.
“It is noted that the nature of a biomass boiler may release emissions into the surrounding area however, the applicant has submitted the specifications of the boiler to be installed which confirms that emission levels would be low.
“Furthermore, the council’s public health and protection division have not raised any objection in this regard.”