Saving world has to start somewhere

10:29am Saturday 28th October 2006

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SAVING the planet is one thing but the action needed to do so is quite another - and there is no doubt that the first major clash of interests would appear to have occurred at Norton, near Worcester.

There is no denying that green' consciousness is increasing and all right-thinking people therefore rejoice. But what happens when a recycling operation suddenly lands slap-bang in the middle of your private world - do you accept it's for the greater good or say not in my back yard?

The latter, it seems. Residents are concerned about the environmental impact of a centre that would handle 105,000 tonnes of material annually, citing traffic congestion as the major worry. There were also concerns about a lack of warning regarding the proposals.

The Worcester News appreciates the depth of feeling. Nevertheless, recycling centres are bound to proliferate as time goes by and the best sites for them will be on the edges of towns and cities. Norton undoubtedly falls into this category and we are bound to point out that it is better this location rather than out in the sticks somewhere, a scenario that would require many more lorry movements, thereby defeating the object of the exercise.

We know the situation's far from perfect. However, these sites have got to go somewhere and this particular one is at least earmarked for an industrial estate - it's not as if we were talking about a water meadow in the Teme Valley.

Rather than oppose these plans outright, residents now need to concentrate on pressing for damage limitation measures such as landscaping and traffic controls. Yes, it's not ideal - but saving our world has got to begin somewhere.