‘Deplorable’ decision
RESIDENTS LEFT FEELING ‘BETRAYED’ AS COUNCIL AGREES TO WASTE SITE PLAN
A CIVIC amenity site and trade waste dump just off Yiewsley High Street has been approved by Hillingdon Council.
The decision to allow The Old Coal Yard site, in Tavistock Road, to operate every day of the year has been branded “deplorable” by Labour councillors.
The site currently works as a weekend-only waste centre, but until August 2017, it had been used by Powerday Plc as a skip and waste container transport site 24 hours-a-day.
The operation ceased when local residents won a seven-year legal battle to end night-time activities at the site, after an inspector found they caused “significant harm to neighbours’ living conditions.”
Labour Councillor Stuart Mathers, who represents West Drayton, said: “This action by Hillingdon Council shows that it has a complete disregard for the health and wellbeing of its West Drayton and Yiewsley residents, and its approval of this application is deplorable.”
While running the waste site, Powerday had two applications to turn the site into a recycling plant rejected by Hillingdon Council. However at a council meeting on Wednesday May 23, it emerged that the council’s new waste site will also be run by Powerday Plc.
More than 600 local residents had signed a petition against the council’s waste facility which will operate seven days a week for five years, and will include a public recycling area, a processing plant for trade waste and storage areas.
Objections included the impact of heavy traffic on local roads which are already notoriously gridlocked.
Fellow West Drayton councillor, Jan Sweeting, said the council’s choice to allow Powerday to run the site on their behalf has left residents feeling “utterly betrayed”.
“Local residents in their thousands have signed two petitions to stop Powerday from opening an Industrial Waste Plant on this site,” added the Labour councillor.
“Now we have our own council asking this company to run the facility, even though residents have confirmed under oath the company to be a very bad neighbour at a recent Public Inquiry.”
Responding to allegations of having shown a “complete disregard” for residents’ heath, Hillingdon Council leader Ray Puddifoot said: “Residents and businesses in the south of the borough have long been calling for a waste and recycling facility in their area, especially since the closure of the Westwaste site in South Ruislip.
“We have been offering a waste weekend every month at this site since 2009, which has been extremely well received. However, it is clear that it needs to be a permanent facility and we have taken immediate steps to ensure that the facility is up and running as soon as possible.
“The Labour Group has a demonstrable record of whinging and whining and a lamentable record for actually doing anything in any area of service, which is why Hillingdon residents recently chose to continue with a Conservative administration that delivers.”