1. Apologies for Absence (see attendance sheet )

2. Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising. 
This was the first time that the Group has had to distribute the minutes without the help of the council so it was 'new territory' for us. David Britton did all of the printing so thank you to him and to the secretary .Some corrections were offered for the last attendance sheet.

3. Chairman's and Vice Chairman's report
An extensive report has been received from SAGE and it seems that the company involved in the incineration project, Brightstar, has taken exception to the content of the TNCUG's minutes

4. Presentation by Colin Bridge MA Chairman of the LA21 Steering Group
Colin gave a clear and highly informative presentation on the subject of LA21 and the Draft Thanet Nature Conservation Strategy .
As an idea Agenda 21 originates from the notion of sustainability , the concern for the welfare of future generations and their environment. As an initiative it stems from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro with the desire to promote the principle 'Think Globally, Act Locally' .Local Agenda (LA) 21 comes from the call for local authorities to respond with a strategy by the year 2000. The Draft Thanet Nature Conservation Strategy is Thanet's response. This includes;

• The appointment of an LA21 coordinator
• The adoption of the strategy by 2000-2002
• A nature conservation strategy -with key objectives
• The establishment focus groups and support from roc

In short: everything that is about the local environment is a part of LA21 strategy , the key objectives are many and include the preparation of a local conservation strategy and a biodiversity action plan.

Contents of the LA21 Strategy:

Amongst the proposed focus groups is the TNCUG. Others include the Thanet Cycle Forum and the Waste and Recycling Group. The TNCUG therefore is written into the heart of the LA21 strategy .Colin emphasised that this can help us to understand the place of the Group and help us to feel that we want to support the group through its future phases.
However, Colin also expressed concern that awareness of Thanet's LA21 Strategy is limited and that it has never entered into policy making at the highest level, as has been the case with some other local authorities. This has left some of the focus groups free- floating and lead to a generally limited awareness of its existence within the council.

The Current Situation
One encouraging development is that TDC has just recently appointed a new LA21 Coordinator who, although has other areas of responsibility, will in part fill the gap left by his predecessor .
His name is Hamish White and the Chairman will be arranging for him to visit the group in the future.

Future Strategy
One of the first priorities for the new LA21 Coordinator is to produce a new and updated Thanet strategy .The Conservation Strategy features strongly in the new Community Strategy guided by council officer Peter Langford (Head of Community Strategy) So the focus groups continue to have a key role and this extends to the Thanet Nature Conservation Strategy as well.
Colin emphasised the importance and potential of the strategy that, he points out, becomes apparent when reading through the draft document. This also serves as a reminder of what we have lost without such a strategy in place. However in spite of this, progress has been made and the document also serves to indicate that any future action will not begin with a blank page.
Colin's talk was well received and appreciated by the group and he was warmly thanked by the Chairman.

3. Waste recycling and proposed incineration plant update Phil Scott (SAGE/ REACT)
Chairman: It seems that one of the key issues is the definition of the word incineration Brightstar having a different definition from most other groups.
Phil Scott: The proposed 165,000 tonne incinerator (near Canterbury) is likely to consist of technology that has been rejected in other parts of the world including India:. Brightstar who are central to this proposal are one of the worst twenty performing companies in Australia so there is a suggestion here that they may not be stable in themselves. KCC has had past experience with a similar pl~t in Ashford where once the equipment had broken it could not be repaired and so there is also a question mark over the robustness of the technology .This plant took five years to complete and at the same time the recycling scheme in the village of Wye was refused permission for expansion to ensure that it did not take waste away from the incinerator project.
Any incineration project will ultimately be down to a decision from the KCC, a public enquiry is not possible, as the Secretary of State will not consider a local issue such as this.
The new Richborough proposal is for a plant that will deal with 50,000 tonnes of waste. The claim is made that it will achieve a very high recycling rate, this rate is unusual for such a plant without recourse to incineration! The proposal is in the name of the landowner as it is not clear, as yet, who will operate the plant.
The application itself is full of gaps leaving much to be clarified at a later date and making it difficult to oppose.
The operating company will use two large autoclaves to 'sterilise' the waste however the waste water from this process is likely to contain pollutants from batteries, garden chemicals and the like.
Another element of the application is for anaerobic digesters that would draw off methane. Many companies are using RDF, refuse derived fuel pellets, to fuel boilers and incinerators, it is worth noting that boilers require no proper filtration, and it would appear that there is a possible provision for a boiler marked on the proposal's site plan. Further consultation will be required, as KCC has felt that, with the closing date of January 25th much time was lost over the Christmas period.
A further concern is that the proposed incinerators in Kent combined would easily be able to cope with the amount of waste the county generates. There is some suggestion here that there may be a plan to bring in waste from other regions, such as South London and that the Richborough site may be significant from the point of view that it has a port close by.
The definition on the proposal is for a research and development facility for waste management and recycling. The application could also be for a three year temporary use which would, therefore avoid the need for and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) After three years the KCC could authorise continuation without further environmental considerations.
There are several important issues arising here: we have no idea of the volume of waste that will be treated on the site, there is no mention of how the methane will be disposed of, there is also ambiguity over the definition of the boiler/incinerator .
It was suggested from the floor that better technology than this is available and the Group may wish to consider expressing its concern to KCC. The Chairman suggested that asking for a clarification of KCC' s policy and planning intentions may be the first stage towards this.
Chairman asks what sort of letter the group would like him to write, and should it express the concern of the group that unproven technology is being used and we are concerned about the control of emissions and the disposal of residual waste. The meeting supported this line of action.
Thanks were given to Phil Scott for his very detailed and clear update.

4. Woodland projects in Thanet

Grant Roberson and Ashly Palmer Reported that the Millmead and Dane Valley Green Community Woodland is to be known as the NCA "Northdown Community Association" This is necessary in order to secure the tenure of the land from Thanet District Council. The national organisation Greenlight will participate as a sub-group of the NCA and the new Association will utilise their constitution.

• Phase 1 will be the woodland project at Dane Valley Green
• The next meeting will be on the 5th March
• Local Residents have shown a keen interest in joining the Steering Group having attended the last three meetings
• Northdown School are to be the initial link school for the educational programme which is supported by Greenlight. A nature garden is planned as part of this project.
• Tree-planting will be held on Sunday 2nd March 2-4pm. Steering Group Fish and Chip shop Dane Valley .

BTCV are to provide insurance cover for these tasks as they are involved. Paul Verrall has advised that roc insurance would not cover these activities
There followed a discussion about the possible help that the Umbrella group might be able to offer by obtaining its own blanket insurance cover for projects.
It was decided from the discussion that it should be left to individual groups to provide their own cover

The Umbrella Group agreed to donate £100 towards whips for planting.

5. Foreness and Tivoli Brook Update
Chairman: The current situation is that Southern Water is putting pressure on Thanet District Council to buy the land at Tivoli Brook and so compulsory purchase is the issue here.

6. TNCUG Trust Status Report: Wendy Carr
Wendy has been in touch with the Charities Commission and has been studying the literature that they have provided.
In order to progress through fi1liIig in the application form it will be necessary to discuss a number of issues with the Group. These include; how the funding will be raised, and what governing document is to be used. A copy of the minutes of the meeting taken when this constitution was decided upon is also required for submission.
A discussion followed on the necessity of gaining charitable status. The Chairman expressed his concern that it will be a complicated process. Although it has been his past experience that much of the available funding is accessible only to organisations with trusts status. Alisdair Bruce suggested that lack of trust status had prevented the group from funding research and projects that were outside the expertise of the members in the past. Wendy explained that she has expert help with the process of application and does not think that the complexity will be an obstacle.

It was agreed that a closed executive meeting should be called to discuss these issues as the Group is clearly moving into a new phase.

7. Treasurers Report: Nigel Collingwood

Thanks to Dr Joe Gaugas of Forness Environmental Action for the donation of £50. Balance by February 6th was £661.62

8. Any other business

Tony Child: Volunteers are still required to cover some areas for the Beach Watch Survey. A training day will be scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday 5th March Problems have been encountered, as in previous winters, with oil spills. Oiled sea birds have been discovered following a spill off the Belgian coast, this was kept away by westerly winds, although it came within nine miles of the Coast.
Discussion followed on the current issues on oil pollution relating to the Thanet coast. The issues raised included the deterioration of detection methods and who to contact when oiled seabirds are discovered- Local vets will take them in addition to the rescue groups. The discussion concluded that if the story to be published in the Isle of Thanet
Nigel Collingwood: Nigel to brief the Chairman on the KCC policy and EU policy on the problem and change of policy for recycling fridges.
Nigel Collingwood proposed a competition to encourage local school children and to promote environmental awareness. He offered to donate £lOO towards this idea and asked if TNCUG would also donate towards this project. Floor It may be possible to become involved in existing schemes such as that run by the Kent Wildlife Trust. It was also considered that the competition could involve a practical or academic piece of work such as an essay or a project.

The meeting closed at 10:20pm

The next meetings will be held on April 3rd, June, 12th August 7th, October 2nd, December 4tb (AGM) at 7:30 pm at the Walpole Bay Hotel

Attendance for Meeting Held on February 6th 2003 At Walpole Bay Hotel7:30pm