Local public opinion of a proposed 21.5 MW(e) biomass gasifier in Devon: Questionnaire survey results

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

This paper presents the results of a postal questionnaire survey of local public opinion on a proposal to build a 21.5 MW(e) integrated combined cycle biomass gasifier on an old Royal Air Force airfield on the outskirts of the rural village of Winkleigh, Devon, England. To all households in Winkleigh Parish 1200 questionnaires were distributed in June 2004 and were returned by 573 people, representing 40% of all adults in the parish. Opinion was found to be overwhelmingly against the gasifier. The concerns of local people were varied, but the highest levels of shared concern were truck movements and associated pollution and nuisance, doubts about the developer's credibility, and gaseous emissions from the plant, including odour. In general, local people felt that they were being asked to accept an industrial scale development that would lead to deterioration in their quality of life. The grey and academic literatures on analogous cases anticipate some of the specific findings.

Original languageEnglish
JournalBiomass and Bioenergy
Volume31
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)433-441
Number of pages9
ISSN0961-9534
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.06.2007
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the villagers of Winkleigh and the interviewees. The research was funded by the Biomass and Bioenergy consortium of the Research Councils’ SuperGen programme ( www.supergen-bioenergy.net ).

Recently viewed

Researchers

  1. Stefan Römer

Publications

  1. Fermentative Polyhydroxybutyrate Production from a Novel Feedstock Derived from Bakery Waste
  2. Between re-production and re-presentation
  3. Eye Contact with the Machine
  4. Mitglieder mit Migrationshintergrund in der IG Metall
  5. What drives the development of community energy in Europe?
  6. PETAL
  7. Antineoplastic compounds in the environment
  8. World in Transition: Sustainability Perspectives for Higher Education
  9. Written Reasoning in Primary School
  10. Simulation of Electric Arcing in HVDC Relays During a Short Circuit Situation
  11. Advances in manufacturing processes for magnesium alloys
  12. Vorbemerkung zu den §§ 15 ff AktG
  13. Hormonal chaos: The scientific and social origins of the environmental endocrine hypotheses
  14. Drawing Lessons: Ruth Asawa’s Early Work on Paper
  15. Hollis Frampton: Photographs
  16. Nachhaltigkeit und Journalismus? Ergebnisse einer Delphi-Studie mit Expertinnen und Experten
  17. Editorial
  18. Führungsstrukturen in KMU
  19. Controller als Partner im Nachhaltigkeits-Management
  20. Prenatal air pollution exposure and neonatal health
  21. Verlockender Ruhm und drohender Hunger
  22. Just what are temperate and boreal rainforests?
  23. Grundkonzeption eines produktbezogenen Top-Runner Modells auf der EU-Ebene
  24. Swissness Communication and its Impact on Consumer-Brand Relationships
  25. Editorial
  26. Are levels of democracy affected by mass attitudes? Testing attainment and sustainment effects on democracy
  27. Digitale Datenbanken
  28. Die Zeitgenossenschaft der Hochmoderne
  29. Abiotic and biotic degradation of five aromatic organosilicon compounds in aqueous media
  30. L’approche néo-institutionelle et ses implications pour le management des relations avec les stakeholders en phase start-up
  31. Optimierung und Überbietung
  32. The effect of voters’ economic perception, Brexit and campaigns on the evaluation of party leaders over time