Concern oversite’s future
South Scotland MSP Brian Whittle has vowed to continue to put the pressure on the Scottish Government to deliver a long-term fix for the environmental contamination issues at Tarbolton Landfill site.
The Scottish Conservative MSP, who was recently appointed Shadow Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, challenged his opposite number in the Scottish Government, Mairi McAllan MSP, to accelerate work on plans.
The landfill has been a source of concern to many local residents since its operator went into liquidation, leaving the site unmaintained.
Since then, Mr Whittle has been working with South Ayrshire Council, SEPA and local residents to make the site safe and ensure that it can be properly monitored and maintained.
Speaking during Portfolio Questions at Holyrood, Brian stressed the concerns that the local community continues to have about leachate and other contaminants entering the local environment.
Later that same day, new South Scotland MSP, Sharon Dowey, also raised the issue during her maiden speech to Parliament.
Brian Whittle MSP said: “I’m pleased that the efforts I’ve made alongside members of the local community to push the Scottish Government into taking action have started to pay off, with some early stage work to make the site safe due to start in the coming months.
“With that said, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the longterm future of the site that need to be answered.
“This situation has also highlighted some wider questions about the maintenance of landfill sites when their use is phased out in a few years.”
He added: “The Scottish Government need to work with SEPA and others to make the landfill safe and protect the local environment.
“I look forward to working with my new colleague Sharon Dowey MSP to ensure that is what they do.”