MSP calls for action at toxic landfill site
Smyth raises long-running saga at Holyrood
A Labour MSP has urged the Scottish Government to set out a “clear plan” for Tarbolton Moss Landfill site.
Residents living near the site have raised concerns over pollution since it was abandoned by the operators, who fell into liquidation, in June 2018.
The Post has previously told how the stench of methane and hydrogen sulphide, which smells like rotten eggs, effectively limits outdoor activities for nearby residents.
There are also fears pollution from the site is entering the River Ayr, at Failford, where it flows to Ayr Harbour.
The site is monitored by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) but South of Scotland MSP Colin Smyth is seeking a breakthrough in what appears to be an impasse in the longrunning saga.
He said: “It is time for the Scottish Government to publish a clear plan about how work is going to be progressed at Tarbolton.
“There have been various difficulties at the site but it’s been going on far too long and what the community needs now is action.
“I have been working with campaigners on this issue for years, and I will continue to press the Scottish Government so we can finally see these issues resolved.”
Roseanna Cunnigham, cabinet secretary for environment, climate change and land reform, said the Scottish Government was “not directly responsible” for the site but revealed that officials from SEPA and South Ayrshire Council met last month to discuss how matters could be “moved forward.”
During a recent portfolio questions session in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Cunningham revealed that the Scottish Government was “actively considering” how barriers to progressing with remediation work at the site
“could be overcome.”
She added: “I understand the frustration of everybody who has any connection with the situation.
“We are aware that issues have not moved forward in the way that local residents would have hoped, but we are committed to working with partners.The liquidation process is still ongoing, and the legal position regarding the future ownership of and responsibility for the site remains to be determined.
“However, there is regular monitoring, and we are looking at what potential options there are. They are under active consideration.”
It’s been going on far too long and what the community needs now is action.