Land study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Land study - Essay Example According to Covanta Energy (2011), the Rookery South EfW Generating Station will be able to â€Å"convert approximately 585,000 tonnes of residual waste per year into 65MWe of electricity, of which 55MWe would be exported to the national grid. That's enough electricity equivalent to meet the needs of Bedford and the Marston Vale;† meaning, approximately 82,500 houses (About the Project, para. 2). As far as the size and construction, Covanta Energy did not want to hinder or takeaway from any long-distance views. Therefore, the designers decided on a building made up of boxes that interlock (See Figure 1), to reduce the height of the structure as much as possible; the other option was a 3-stack building. Still, with 9 times the total capacity per annum of the Isle of Man EfW facility, the current design is approximately 2m lower than â€Å"the visible height above ground level of the Isle of Man EfW Facility† (Covanta Energy, 2011). ... Assets including designated and undesignated archaeological sites and historic buildings such as parks and gardens, monuments, areas of conservation, and registered battlefields are the focus of the assessment. Since the Rookery South EfW Generating Station will be built in the location of a former clay pit, there is very little, if any potential for negative impact on historical assets. The only potential for disturbance Covanta Energy (2011) has acknowledged is to â€Å"currently unrecorded sub-surface archaeological features during those construction works that take place outside of the pit of minor significance† (Cultural Heritage, para. 2). The residents and local decision-makers feel different from Covanta about the impact on the historical area of the proposed development. Residents of the Marston Vale and surrounding areas near the proposed site of the project want to hold on to one of twelve community forests in England (Ampthill, 2011). The resounding message to Cova nta is the pollution generated from the facility combined with the eyesore of a massive processing plant viewable from long distances will ruin the historical beauty of the land (Ampthill, 2011). Although Covanta recognizes the fact that the facility will be visible from long distances, potentially causing negative reactions like those conveyed by the residents in the surrounding communities, they feel they have taken adequate steps to minimize any adverse impact. The steps they refer to include the low-profile design, as opposed to the 3-stack alternative, and the selection of material finishes for the buildings, which they feel are as aesthetically pleasing as a waste processing plant can get; all aspects of the design were developed after consulting with Central Bedfordshire Council,