Idris Martin reporting
If anyone had any doubts about the strength of opposition towards Portland Port, siting a waste incinerator within the port, then a protest march along Weymouth Esplanade on the morning of Saturday 16th November 2024 would probably might well have their minds up for them.
A crowd that was estimated to be somewhere between 300 to 500 protesters assembled by the Victoria Clock and listened to speeches from local councillors including Weymouth Mayor Jon Orrell and Portland Cllr. Paul Kimber and the residents made it totally clear that the incinerator was not welcome and posed a threat to the health of local people.
Included in the protest were members of the Great Britain Sailing Team, including some Olympians who train within the confines of the former Royal Naval Base, which was sold off to Portland Port in 1996.
The planning application for a waste incinerator on Portland had previously been rejected by the local planning authority, Dorset Council, but more recently that decision was overturned by the Government who gave the green light for the scheme to go ahead.
All images below of the protest march are by and © Idris Martin (click an image to enlarge)
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