Letters: Ministers would be mad to ignore biomass objections

I can't help but feel that Forth Energy will be a little relieved that the consultation process over the controversial Leith biomass plant has finally come to an end. Because what has happened over the past month has been an unequivocal thumping of the company's justification for building the facility at Leith.

In letters, public meetings, formal objection and informal tweets, Leith residents, environmental campaigners and concerned individuals have said a clear "no" to the plant. Ministers making the final decision would be mad to ignore that.

The arguments against are simple. For starters, it's in the wrong place. The heavily populated area of Leith is ill-suited to a huge industrial facility. It would dominate the skyline, add an extra 32 lorry movements per day to an area already congested, and pollute the air.

Furthermore, the environmental credentials of the facility are shaky. Forth Energy maintains the plant will make huge carbon savings. But these are optimistic calculations, based on a non-existent infrastructure for piping heat into homes, and a failure to take into account the carbon cycle of the type of material being burned. More realistic figures suggest the plant will make no contribution to Scotland's Greenhouse Gas targets by 2030 and may make only a very small contribution to targets for 2050.

The Scottish Green Party believes that Scotland's future lies in the creation of a sustainable green economy. It involves investment in energy production which creates jobs, meets Scotland's energy needs, and protects our environments. It doesn't involve supporting developments which decrease the quality of life for local residents, and fail to live up to their environmental claims.

Alison Johnstone, top Green candidate for Lothian in the Scottish Parliament elections

En route to being a laughing stock

Is transport in Edinburgh now purely a matter for entertainment? Apart from the fact that it is only the "festival tsar" instead of Edinburgh council's transport convener who is commenting on Lothian Buses' decision to remove its ticketing machines (On-street ticket machines driven out by bus bosses, News, March 14), it is deeply disappointing that there is a seemingly total absence of vision and leadership regarding such a key issue of local transport policy.

While the current machines were at best experimental, it does not mean that there is not a need to put something in their place. Why are they not being replaced with sensible ticket dispensing and journey information machines? Why can't we have an integrated ticketing system in Edinburgh, doing away with the nonsense of individual ticket purchase and checking by the bus driver and the absence of through tickets permitting at least one change of bus.

While it might suit to perpetuate the myth that Lothian Buses is the UK's best bus company, this cannot be an excuse for effectively allowing them to run public transport policy in Edinburgh.

Putting ticketing machines (or removing them from) a public street just because they like to "conduct experiments" or claim this helps to "keep fares down" should not be left to one company, especially not an "arms-length" one.

Harald Tobermann,Pilrig Street, Edinburgh

Driven round the bend by rules

I AM a black cab driver in Edinburgh and I rent a taxi with an advert on the side.

We have been told that any taxi with an advert on the side is not allowed through Holyrood Park.

I apologise in advance to all my customers for having to take them the long way round, even at night when the adverts aren't visible in the park.

I try my utmost best, as do most of the taxi drivers in Edinburgh, to go the best way for our customers and we have one of the best taxi services in the world.

I do not know who has made this decision but I would like to ask him if making us go a longer route is really necessary when fuel prices are so high and we are supposed to be helping reduce carbon emissions.

A Ferguson, Newington Road, Edinburgh