Transcript for Sandhoe Parish Council Official Website

 

Sandhoe Parish Council – Egger UK Ltd Liaison Meeting

 

Report from the update meeting with the three senior representatives of Egger which took place on 27th March at 4pm at Egger’s factory.

 

Present

 

John Pennie (Liaison Group Chairman), Robert Macfarlane (Chairman Sandhoe Parish Council), Jean Fearon (Northumberland County Council), Neil Fearon (Tynedale District Council), Bill Grigg (Clerk to Sandhoe Parish Council.), Egger Staff - Paul Turner (Factory Manager) Simon Dotlinger (Director, Factory Manager) and Andrew Billings (Construction Manager).

 

Agenda Items

 

1         The works to silence the main log handling plant (Hombak) fall into two parts. The first part has been completed as promised (in January), with the construction of a tunnel structure  over the main log  feeder. That tunnel has been insulated with special noise reducing material. (supports of 50mm and roof of 180mm plus specialised insulation.)

 

 2         The second phase has just been approved at main board level. It involves the commissioning, at a cost of about £1m, of a log handling feeding system designed by leading manufacturers HOLTEC, to cope specifically with the smaller logs that are used by Egger so as to ensure that they are more tightly and uniformly loaded than has been the case up until now. The second phase is designed to help reduce noise and to enable much more efficient working.  It is destined to be finished by mid to late Autumn 2008.

 

3         The main benefit of the new systems  will be much less noise and fewer loud bangs and rumbles .These latter  are caused by the present uneven way in which the log handling machinery operates. The main by-product will be the eventual ability to stop working through the night every night.  Perhaps 6 hours downtime each night can be achieved once the throughput is more efficiently and quietly loaded.

 

 4         All loading shovel operators are now familiar with the rules on night time working and the use of flashing lights rather than reversing sirens

 

5         Egger aims for the old site to be cleared by early to mid Autumn. However, the planning condition states that from the date of the hand-over of the supplier to Egger, there is an eighteen-month time frame for the demolition of the old equipment to be completed, which would be 31st March 2009. The old WESP chimney and press scrubber chimney have not been in operation since 31st October 2007.

 

6          The new chimney is at its final height (53m)

 

 7         The maintenance teams are on duty round the clock with the result that incidents are now very rare, whereas a few years ago they were occurring regularly

 

 8         Plant downtimes are likely to happen every 6 months or so for routine assessment and certain maintenance procedures. Otherwise closures are likely to be kept to a minimum and only occur if there is a problem.

 

 9         There are no plans to find other sites in or around Hexham and there are no plans to go into production in volumes greater than those set out in the current licence application. Said licence is due to be issued imminently and when it is issued the plant will operate under it rather than under the present extended earlier licence.  There has been no period of  “unlicensed” activity.

 

10     Sawdust is all under cover. Very occasionally the sewage treatment plant people ( nearest neighbours)  complain about dust , but these complaints are dealt with as soon as practicable and relations are broadly good. No other dust complaints have been received by Egger in recent months.  Egger do not concede that hack chips are a major source of dust and say that there is no evidence of any dust from hack chips making it to anywhere near the residences in Oakwood

 

11     At the board meeting when the HOLTEC contract was approved (see 2 above ) the board also decided to be supportive of the request made by us at the first meeting in January  that Egger should make a substantial contribution to the cost of the tree screening strips due to be planted in the fields that lie between Oakwood and the plant. Egger management requested that the group send them a worked example and basic financial costings for the tree scheme with some outline plans showing likely locations. We said we would do this during April and May, and a small working party chaired by John Pennie will produce this information.

 

A further meeting is scheduled for the end of July 2008.