Schools Proximity

Study on the Proximity to the Incinerator of Gloucestershire's schools and other Educational Establishments

GlosVain has produced a report on the proximity of Gloucestershire schools and other educational establishments from the site of the Javelin Park incinerator proposed by Gloucestershire County Council.

Some of the most striking findings from our analysis are summarised below:

Proximity of Schools and other establishments

    • There are 140 schools and other educational establishments sited within 5 miles of the planned incinerator site.
    • Within 10 miles this rises to 378 establishments (almost 50% of all), and includes 122 primary schools, 208 Early Years settings and 20 secondary schools.

Number of Children by Proximity and establishment category

  • 20,447 children attend a setting within 5 miles of the proposed incinerator, and 43,282 in total within 10 miles (figures known to be understated).
  • Of those 20,447 attending within 5 miles, 9,253 are primary school pupils, rising to 22,021 primary school pupils in total attending within 10 miles.

Implications

GlosVAIN believes this is of serious concern regarding the health of Gloucestershire's children. The Health Protection Agency has commissioned a study into claims that there are negative health impacts due to incineration and even increased infant mortality[i]. These claims rest on the fact that substances emitted by incinerators are known to cause cancer and to have a range of other negative health impacts. Children and infants in particular are known to be especially vulnerable to the negative health impacts of these substances.

Read our full report: Schooling in the Shadow of the Incinerator

Click on the map picture below to explore our Interactive Map of Schools and their proximity to the incinerator

Chart - Establishments by Distance Bracket and Category
Schools Map

More information about the general potential health impacts of incineration are described here.

[i] The Health Protection Agency study is expected to yield preliminary results in 2014 ahead of planned completion of construction of a Javelin Park incinerator (operational 2015): http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1317132452987?p=1317132140479