Herald Express (Torbay, Brixham & South Hams Edition)
More waste sees landfill site reopened
A LANDFILL waste tip is to reopen because households are still putting too much rubbish in their bins.
Despite an increased awareness about the need to recycle, Devon County Council says landfill tonnages have not declined as quickly as anticipated.
Tipping at the site on John Acres Lane stopped in January 2016, following the opening of energy recovery facilities at Exeter and Plymouth.
Councillors on the committee approved reopening the landfill site, which handles non-recyclable waste, after hearing there was still capacity at the site and that there was nowhere else in Devon for landfill waste to go.
Cllr Ray Bloxham said: “I get the local concern as the site was closed a couple of years ago and I do get the drive towards zero landfill, which is a drive we should aspire to, but the reality is we have this issue to deal with today. If we don’t approve this, the question is, what happens to the waste, and I don’t think we have an answer to that.”
THE closed Heathfield landfill site is set to reopen. Tipping at the site on John Acres Lane stopped in January 2016 due to declining landfill tonnages following the opening of energy recovery facilities at Exeter and Plymouth.
At the time Devon County Council officials said there was insufficient waste to support both Heathfield and Broadpath, near Tiverton, landfill operations. But since that decision, landfill tonnages have not declined as quickly as anticipated, a report the Devon County Council’s development management committee stated. The committee also heard that Broadpath is due to close early next year.
Councillors on the committee approved reopening the landfill site, which handles non-recyclable waste, after hearing there was still capacity at the site and that there was nowhere else in Devon for landfill waste to go.
Recommending approval, Mike Deaton, chief planner, said: “It is considered that the extension of time to allow for further tipping to utilise the remaining capacity is acceptable and that any potential impacts can be adequately mitigated and controlled through planning conditions, a legal agreement and through the site monitoring process.
“The alternative option would be to refuse this application and require the operator to continue with restoration of the site under the provisions on the original consent. This option would risk Devon having insufficient landfill capacity to meet its anticipated needs and thereby increase the distances that waste is transported for disposal.”
Chris Herbert, speaking on behalf of waste management firm Viridor, said: “The case here is planning permission for the landfill has expired but there is void space that can be filled. There is an ongoing need for some capacity and this is not a reduced desire to recycle. We are asking for no more than what the council has previously approved and there are no objections from Highways, Natural England, the Environment Agency or Environment Health departments.”
Cllr Jackie Hook said the council should object. “This is contrary to the Devon waste plan, and our tagline is ‘don’t let Devon go to waste’ and zero landfill is a legitimate aim. By doing this, we are accepting defeat, not dealing with the prevention of waste, and panicking to say we need more landfill.”
Cllr Jacqui Hodgson said she had deep concerns and that it was “barbaric” to be returning to landfill.
But Cllr Ray Bloxham said: “I get the local concern as the site was closed a couple of years ago and I do get the drive towards zero landfill, which is a drive we should aspire to, but the reality is we have this issue to deal with today. If we don’t approve this, the question is, what happens to the waste, and I don’t think we have an answer to that.”