Redford against Kingsnorth plans

Redford narrated a documentary about a fight against coal-fired stations

Actor Robert Redford has backed a campaign against plans to build a coal-fired power station in Kent.

He gave his support to those fighting E.ON UK's plans to build two units at Kingsnorth in a letter to pressure group World Development Movement.

It will be read out at a meeting in Chatham where an environmental film narrated by the star will be screened.

E.ON said it would demolish an existing power station at Kingsnorth and replace it with one that is 20% cleaner.

'Bad for economies'

In the letter Redford said: "To those gathered this evening around the proposed coal fire power plant in your community of Kent, I congratulate all of you for coming together to learn more and to do more.

"Coal power plants or as you call them, stations, are bad for public health; they are bad for the environment close by in proximity as well as much farther away as pollution is taken by wind and water.

"They contribute greatly to climate impacts in a highly negative manner; and thus are ultimately very bad for the local and larger economies."

The 2008 film documents the efforts of a group of Texas mayors and residents who tried to stop plans to build coal-fired stations.

Redford said: "The story in Fighting Goliath: the Texas Coal Wars may well ring familiar to you, as it's a universal story of what is happening in many communities across the US and the world."

Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement, said he was delighted that the US actor had lent his support.

Meanwhile three people from the Climate Camp Action group, which plans to hold a week-long event in August to protest against E.ON' s proposals, climbed on to the office of a PR agency which is advising the energy provider.

'Meet the challenges'

An area surrounding the building in Victoria Street in central London, was cordoned off by police while the demonstrators waved a banner which read: "Edelman PR spinning the climate change out of control."

The protesters were later issued with fines by police.

Robert Phillips, chief executive of Edelman UK, said: "I went up and said that I would be happy to have a conversation with them about it but they said they weren't interested in talking. They wanted to shout about it."

He added: "E.ON knows that it has to meet the challenges posed by climate change and we are working with E.ON in facing up to these challenges."

Medway Council gave its approval to the E.ON planning application at the beginning of January.

The final decision on the proposed coal-fired station will be made by the government.

If approved, E.ON said the power station would be operational by 2012 and provide enough energy for 1.5 million homes.