British Olympic athletes who train at an internationally renowned sailing academy on the south coast are threatening to quit the site over plans to build a £150m waste incinerator next to their base.
Ellie Aldridge, an Olympic gold medallist, is among the competitors at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy opposing the construction of the new incinerator for burning household rubbish on the Isle of Portland, on the Jurassic coast.
The new energy plant on the isle, overlooking Weymouth Bay, will emit up to 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The Tories pledged in their manifesto at the general election to stop the construction of new incinerators, but the Labour government approved the scheme in September.
The Observer can reveal that Aldridge is among a number of Olympic athletes who wrote to the government last Thursday warning that the construction of the incineration plant may force some athletes to quit the site.
The British sailing team is the most successful national Olympic sailing team of all time, and the south coast base was the sailing venue for the 2012 games. The base has been called an Olympic “medals factory”.
Athletes are concerned at the risk of pollutants in what they describe as currently the “freshest air” in Britain, sweeping across the bay and Portland harbour on the Jurassic coast, classed as a Unesco world heritage site. The developer, Powerfuel Portland, insists there will be a “net benefit” for air quality across most of the area.
“There should be another way of getting rid of waste rather than incinerating it,” said Aldridge, 27, who became the first Olympic gold medallist in kitefoiling at the Paris Olympics this year. “This is one of the most beautiful coastlines in the UK and I don’t understand how they even got the idea to put it here.” Aldridge says she is not willing to train under the plume of the new plant.
A letter from members of the British sailing team to Steve Reed, the environment secretary, and Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, states: “If these proposals go ahead, a waste incinerator will be built next door to the academy – which has been home to the British sailing team for over a decade.
“There is no doubt that training in Portland has contributed to Team GB’s sailing success. For many of us, Portland is not just a training base but also our home.
“The plans to build an incinerator raise significant environmental and health concerns, which we believe would harm the quality of Portland’s sailing facilities. As elite athletes, our daily training relies on clean air and water. We fear that the damage posed by an incinerator could force us to consider leaving Portland altogether.”
Other signatories include the Olympic athletes Emma Wilson, Anna Burnet, John Gimson, Hannah Snellgrove, Saskia Tidey and Freya Black. The signatories also include athletes aiming to compete at the 2028 summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“We invite people from around the world to train here,” said Burnet, 32, who won silver with Gimson, 41, at the Tokyo Olympics and lives in Portland. “It’s a beautiful and amazing venue. It will be embarrassing to have an eyesore and environmental hazard right on our training ground.”
The plant will have a 262ft chimney stack, operating 24 hours a day.
Black, 23, who competed in Paris, said she moved to Portland to train and it was hard to “think about leaving this beautiful place”. She said: “It’s stunning here and I don’t understand how it has become a dumping ground.” Charlie Leigh, 21, who hopes to compete in the 2028 summer Olympics, said: “This is a slap in the face to Dorset council and all their initiatives to get to net zero.”
The Labour government approved the scheme despite a recent BBC investigation alleging that incinerators were the “dirtiest way” the UK generates power. Dorset council, which had rejected the scheme, warned the government decision had “knee-capped our net zero ambitions”.
Environment Agency officials are considering an application for an environmental permit to operate the facility. Campaigners have begun legal efforts to try to overturn the decision.
About 40 lorries a day of waste will be delivered to the plant overlooking the base. Incinerators across Britain have been found to have breached environmental permits for emissions of toxins and other pollutants.
Public Health England says “modern, well-run and regulated municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health” but it is not possible to rule out any adverse health effects. Scotland and Wales have banned new incinerator plants because of environmental concerns.
The UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN) says there are more than 50 operational waste incinerators in England. Shlomo Dowen, from UKWIN, said: “Incineration harms recycling, exacerbates climate change and is a barrier to the circular economy. There are far better ways to generate electricity. They clearly do emit harmful pollutants.”
Powerfuel Portland says there is a shortage of waste treatment facilities in Dorset and its proposed energy recovery facility would enable Dorset’s waste to be managed in a more sustainable way. It says the plant will reduce carbon emission in local waste treatment, and will be carbon neutral. It says it will improve air quality across most of the area by providing a shore power facility for ships, which means their diesel generators will not be required.
Giles Frampton, director at Powerfuel Portland, said it expected its environmental permit to be granted before the end of the year. He said: “Modern energy recovery facilities, such as the one proposed at Portland port, are tightly regulated and monitored by the Environment Agency to ensure that they operate safely and within statutory limits. Portland port is an ideal location for the facility as it is a brownfield, industrial site in a working port.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “In line with the recommendation from the independent planning inspector, ministers have granted planning permission for an energy recovery facility at Portland port.
“As this decision is subject to live litigation it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
