Contamination claim is rejected
ABUSINESS park firm hoping to build a retirement village and country club hotel on fields in Runcorn has moved to allay speculation about land contamination on the sites.
SOG Ltd, writing in a newsletter it launched following public outcry over the proposals, said the 11 acres of land it owns were found not to be ‘at risk’ of hazards investigated by chemical company ICI’s 2001 Project Pathway study, which explored properties in Weston for presence of hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) in 2000- 01, finding it in more than 20 homes and leading to more than 200 houses being evacuated.
The company added that the plots being eyed for the developments lie ‘outside areas of special concern’. A response provided by architect Terry Rogan to the Weekly News said the definition of ‘special’ refers to parameters used in assessing risk such as the Control Of Major Accident Hazards Regulations regulations.
‘Special’ has an overlapping definition under the The Contaminated Land Regulations 2006, where it is used for land previously used for a range of activities including the manufacture, pro- duction or disposal hazardous materials.
SOG Ltd said the sites have been assessed in terms of the risk of their proximity to the landing approach route for Liverpool John Lennon Airport and ‘more significantly’ the Ineos plants in Weston Point. The firm has recommended further study of to establish the land is safe because of its ‘relatively close proximity to a previous council refuse site’.
SOG Pension Fund, whose parent company SOG owns nearby Heath Business And Technical Park, has applied to build a 46-unit retirement village at the top of High- lands Road and a 30-room country club hotel on Heath Road South.
It has has faced opposition from residents who have raised issues relating to road safety, traffic levels, loss of greenspace and child protection in relation to the hotel because of the proposed site’s vicinity to a nursery.
Heath ward councillor Charlotte Gerrard revealed in August that the Health And Safety Executive was poised to recommend the retirement village plan for refusal.
SOG has lodged a third application, for a small convenience store at Heath business park.