Parish council objects to waste centre application
APARISH council has threatened legal action, if proposals for a waste transfer facility that will turn Halton into what they describe as the ‘dustbin of the North West’ are accepted.
Veolia ES UK Ltd is asking to change the use of the former J Bryan (Victoria) LTD facility in the Halebank Industrial Estate to a waste transfer and treatment facility.
Halebank Parish Council, chaired by Colin Rowan, has objected strongly.
The site would have ‘a waste transfer station with a shredder to manufacture a refuse derived fuel and bulking/transfer of recyclates and an external area for storage, treatment and transfer of construction and demolition wastes’.
The application from Veolia assures that the existing waste collection fleet and current vehicle maintenance activities will continue on the existing Ditton Road site; the Pickerings Road site is proposed to ‘provide scope to develop a transfer station which cannot be accommodated on the Ditton Road site due to space limitations’.
The application also states that Veolia is seeking to develop its own local infrastructure with ‘efficient access to its customers in the main population centres across Halton and Merseyside to reduce reliance upon third party facilities in and around the existing Widnes depot’.
Letters of objection have raised issues with the proposals which include: ● Impact of traffic and parking. ● Air pollution, odour, noise, dust, litter, attraction to vermin. ● Debris on roads causing punctures. ● That Halton is becoming the dustbin of the North West. ● Particular concern in relation to odour and dust and impact on residents and local investment. ● Impact on local residents. ● Negative impact of character, regeneration and environmental quality.
One ward councillor said: “As the ward council- lor, I’ve been asked by a number of constituents regarding this application which has been presented by Veolia UK. I broadly share these concerns and ask that this be noted as part of the ongoing consultation regarding the application.
“My principal concern is around the environmental impact of such a facility in terms of odours, dust and litter blown on the wind, based on experience of similar premises in other areas, as well as an increase in traffic from heavy goods vehicles.
“This site is in close proximity to an existing housing estate and also very near to another site which is likely to be developed if the council’s development and allocations plan is approved.”
Halebank Parish Council has also put forward a letter of objection saying: “The parish council has asked me to express to you their deep concern and alarm at proposals by Veolia ES UK Ltd for a change of use of land at the former J Bryan (Victoria) Ltd, Pickerings Road, Hale Bank, for it be used for a waste transfer and treatment facility.
“Hale Bank Parish Council believes the site is totally unsuitable for this use for the following reasons:
The Guide to Site Prioritisation (Policy WM1) in the Joint Merseyside and Halton Waste Local Plan states that developers are required to show that the site that they wish to develop is either: ● An allocated site. ● An unallocated site within an area of search. ● An unallocated site which can be justified using the Waste Local Plan site assessment method.
“The Parish notes that: ● The former J Bryan (Victoria) Ltd, Pickerings Rd, Hale Bank is not an allocated site. ● Neither is it an unallocated site within an area of search.
“Hale Bank is quite clearly not in Ditton and there is a clear physical separation of the industrial area the JWDP refers to and Hale Bank is a primarily residential area in the form of the West Coast railine and Ditton Bridge.
“It is wholly misrepresentative of the applicant to suggest that Hale Bank is part of Ditton for purposes of claiming this site Council to be an unallocated site within an area of search.
“Furthermore, the supporting statement states that ‘the site was previously permitted and therefore deemed to be an ‘existing waste management licensed’ for the purposes of the Waste Local Plan.’
“The parish council is both confused and concerned by this comment and assertion by the applicant just because the previous site occupants demolition company J Bryan ( Victoria) conducted activities for which a licence was required it does not logically follow that their line of business was the same as that of a waste transfer station.
“A waste transfer station will dispose of much larger amounts of differing waste streams.
“Also, which ‘Waste Local Plan’ is the applicant referring to? It clearly is not the Joint Waste Development Plan to which Halton Borough Council has subscribed to because as previously stated this site in Hale Bank is not an allocated site nor is it an unallocated site.
“Therefore the parish council would submit that this is also a redundant line of planning argument by Veolia.”
“The parish council is extremely concerned that such an increase in vehicles as it proposed by this application would turn our community into a dumping ground.
“So it is on this basis that Hale Bank Parish Council would take great exception if, given the observations outlined in this submission, HBC was to go ahead and grant permission for this application and unfortunately, the parish council would, once again, be forced to seek legal advice regarding a potential judicial review of any such decision.
“The parish council sincerely hopes that such a course of action would not be necessary and that HBC will make a decision compliant with JWDP.”
The parish council also raised concerns about noise, odour management plans and traffic.
However, the proposal outline is supported by a noise assessment saying that background sound measurements have been recorded at various periods to determine the highest likey noise contribution.
It states: “The assessment concludes that predicted noise levels from operation, HGV movements, mobile plant movement, waste shredder, crusher/screener, ● bulking activities and vehicle wash operation would not exceed representative background levels and therefore likely to result in low impact according to current British Standard.”
In relation to odours the report says: “It is suggested that risk of odours is low as a result of the type of material handled which is generally low odour, but also because there is a rapid throughput of material with waste being help on site for only a short period of time.’
Veolia UK Ltd is a trade waste collection and management service that operates across Halton and Merseyside.
David Bridgwood, national planning manager at Veolia, said: “We understand that some local residents have concerns about the proposal and we take that seriously and have responded to those raised. The development we are proposing is a modern resources management facility that will operate under nationally recognised standards, regulated stringently by the Environment Agency and the local planning authority.
‘‘The site will be specifically designed to minimise impact on our neighbours and local residents.
“Our relationship with the local community is very important to us since we are a long term operator and value local populations rights, and should this development be approved, we will be cre- ating a number of new jobs at the site where we would welcome and encourage applications from local people.”
It has been recommended that the development control committee approve the application subject to a number of conditions which include: ● Waste being restricted to 85,000 tonnes per annum. ● Restrictions on waste types accepted and processed, on hours of waste delivery, processing an export and external storage locations. ● Waste will be required to be carried in sealed and covered wagons.
The bid will be discussed by the development control committee on January, 7 2019.