The massive 135 foot incinerator dome and 260 foot chimneys of the New Barnfield Incinerator are clearly going to cast a shadow over Hatfield, both literally and metaphorically, but HAI activists were left wondering just where and how big the actual shadow would be?

The answer, provided by a student, Stephanie-May Isle, on behalf of HAI, is the shadow will fall right across the playground and buildings of Southfield Special Needs School.

Stephanie-May’s analysis shows that the shadow, especially from the chimneys, will fall on the school playground and buildings for around four months of every year. For two months the shadow will be right across the school site. Local housing won’t escape either, with shadows in the morning reaching far into the streets of South Hatfield around mid-winter.

The analysis, done for a science-based coursework assignment, is a conservative estimate, as the ground elevation changes were difficult to account for, and the slope means the shadow will actually be longer than that shown in the work.

HAI activist Paul Zukowskyj commented: “the shadow cast from this monstrosity will have it’s very own, unique, impact. At a time when rickets is making a comeback in the UK, the last thing we should be doing is stopping sunlight reaching schoolchildren, yet this plant will do exactly that. Shading the sun from a school playground for four months just shows how dominating this plant will be to some of the most vulnerable in our society. To treat them with such contempt is wholly unacceptable in a civilised society. This is yet another reason those at HCC responsible for this abomination should hang their heads in shame.”