The Pioneers statue celebrates the canal builders who founded Ellesmere Port and was cast in bronze by Liverpool artist Stephen Broadbent.
Pressure group tackles air quality
| A Pressure group has carved out an important role for itself in helping the authorities and businesses to find new ways of improving the air that we breathe. South Wirral Against Pollution (SWAP), which has acted as a watchdog for local air quality for five years, now works closely with members of the borough's Air Quality Forum, positively contributing to its work. Marj Lancaster-Smith, the chairperson of SWAP, and Dr Leslie Ball, Vice-chairman, are the group's two founder members. Here they explain how the group was formed and what its aims are. |
'SWAP is a residents' group set up in spring 1997 with the aim of challenging Scottish Power's plans to build a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) station at the BNFL/Urenco site at Capenhurst, adjacent to housing.
'We presented our objections to the planned Capenhurst CHP at an open meeting in Ellesmere Port Civic Hall, attended by local residents and their representative groups, councillors and press.
'This led to us being invited to attend, as observers, the borough council's environmental health committee.
'From this specific beginning SWAP quickly expanded its role to encompass other actual and perceived sources of local air and water pollution, and more recently the transportation and disposal of waste.
'We initiated meetings with several local industries that the public perceived as likely polluters, to gain a greater insight into their activities and to give these industries an understanding of SWAP's mission.
'From the start SWAP strove to elicit an ongoing dialogue with these industries and therefore adopted a constructive rather than confrontational approach.
'Our various meetings have led SWAP to believe that greater co-operation and liaison has ensued and that a better partnership and understanding has been established between community groups like ourselves and the various industries and organisations.
'This can only be beneficial for the residents of Ellesmere Port.
'Importantly SWAP recognises that although certain industries are perceived as polluters, their emissions are within nationally defined limits.
'To sum up, our overall aim is to ensure industrialists, councillors and officers are aware that the community, as 'stakeholders', deserve be consulted and have more of a say in the town's affairs.
'Meanwhile the borough council, responding to the escalating concerns about local industrial and vehicular pollution, both actual and perceived, realised that a more pro-active approach was required. Following a series of discussions with local industry, residential groups and national government departments, the council set up the Air Quality Forum (AQF).
'Through our involvement with the AQF, SWAP has been made aware of an improvement in air quality in monitored areas, although there is still some scope for further improvement in the more concentrated industrial areas.
'However, with the continued co-operation of the major industries together with the local authority, we feel confident that further improvements can be made.
'We look forward to playing our part to ensure that the concerns of people in Ellesmere Port are represented.'
Mike Whittaker, the council's Head of Environmental Health, added: 'The council's objective is to ensure that all decisions relating to environmental pollution should be transparent and accountable.
'The involvement of SWAP in the discussion surrounding pollution, particularly air quality, has been challenging, constructive and very positive.'
