A SMALL minority of residents misunderstand the objectives of the protest against the Ryedale Gas Project. TAGS is not against the project but, for many reasons, is strongly opposed to the proposed Hurrell Lane site.

Moving the plant closer to the well head would shorten the sour gas pipeline and the factory could be placed away from populated areas. This would lower the risks to residents and eliminate most of the objections, but still retain the perceived benefits.

Moorland claims all alternative sites are unsuitable, but their reasons are much weaker than those against Hurrell Lane. Their excuse that a long pipeline would still be needed to the distribution network is irrelevant as this would contain clean dry gas at a lower pressure and would be more acceptable than the highly toxic and corrosive high-pressure sour gas pipeline.

At Moorland Energy Ltd’s last public exhibition, we suggested moving the development north of the A170, which may be inconvenient for them as they would incur a slight increased installation cost, but this cost seems to be more important than the safety and wellbeing of villagers.

Jerry Scarr & Dr M Pitt, T.A.G.S ( Technicians Against Gas Site), Farmanby Close, Thornton-Le-Dale.